Bleeding Gums: The Red Flags of Gum Disease

If you are experiencing bleeding gums, you may be asking, “Do I have gum disease?” Bleeding gums often serve as one of the first warning signs of gum disease, so patients who notice this symptom while brushing or flossing should take it very seriously. If treated early, the effects of gum disease can usually be reversed through professional cleanings and stricter adherence to a daily oral hygiene routine. Allowing it to advance can significantly elevate your risk for a number of serious health hazards.

Talking Wounded: Why Periodontitis Makes You Vulnerable to Systemic Disease

You would not walk around with an open wound on your body, so why would you allow an open wound in your mouth to go untreated? Many people fail to realize that by postponing gum disease treatment, they are doing exactly that; periodontitis is essentially an open wound in the gums that provides a direct path for bacteria to enter your blood stream and circulate throughout the rest of your body. There are more bacteria in the average human mouth than people on this planet, so it should come as no surprise that gum disease can trigger a number of other health complications, including serious systemic diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, respiratory disease, ischemic stroke, and diabetes. Gum disease can also heighten your risk for cancer. In particular, findings from recent studies reveal that periodontal disease may heighten your risk of pancreatic cancer by as much as 64 percent.

If you are asking yourself, “Do I have gum disease?” then you need to learn more about the connection between periodontitis and other health complications. If you are experiencing bleeding gums or other symptoms of gum disease, call Dr. Randolph Snyder’s Yuma, AZ office today.