Need help managing bleeding gums . . . TMI

[ledzepplon]

Not for the squeamish . . . you've been warned! Sorry it's a bit long.

Last night I had the unpleasant experience of waking up to a mouth full of blood at 4 am. Needless to say it freaked me out, because I couldn't figure out where the blood was coming from at first. Then I saw that it was leaking out of my gums, mostly around my two front teeth on the top, where I have porcelain crowns (from breaking my teeth in a fall). The bleeding stopped, I would say the amount of blood was comparable to a moderate nosebleed. It hasn't restarted today, but my gums around those crowns looks swollen and slightly purplish.

All my internet searching seems to say that this is a gingivitis problem, but I have very good oral hygiene and brush and floss at least twice a day, checkups every six months. I was just at the dentist in November and had no problems.

This is my fourth pregnancy and I have had slight bleeding when brushing (like pink spit, not lots of red blood like last night) and my dentist always said it was normal that my gums were more sensitive during pregnancy. They go back to normal after childbirth.

Anyone have any ideas how to prevent this? Has it happened to anyone else? Since it happened out of the blue I'm a little worried that it could stat back up at any time. Could the crowns be part of the problem? Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[umsami]

My Mom has had some bad periodontal disease... and when things flare up, her dentist recommends this Rx peroxide mouthwash that she puts in a Water Pik with...and irrigates her gums. If you look in the dental aisle, you should find some mouthwashes that are designed specifically for people with problems.

At minimum, I would add Listerine to your schedule... twice a day... swishing for at least 30 seconds.

Also, how new is your toothbrush? If it's more than 3 months old, you might want to consider a new one. Definitely go for an electric (Crest has a Sonic one which is good for only about $15.00)

And if it continues, call your dentist!

[mosesface]

you could try taking white oak bark capsules. my mw recommends it for bleeding gums and hemorrhoids. it really works!

you can find white oak bark in most hfs with all the vitamins and supplements.

[ledzepplon]

Thanks for the replies! I do use Listerine once a day almost every day, but perhaps I need to bump up the frequency or find another antiseptic mouthwash that works better for me. I'll also look into the white oak bark.

I did e-mail my OB's office as well--hopefully this was just a quirky fluke. But it did surprise me because I've never really had any oral problems and just had a clean bill of health from the dentist less than two months ago! Weird....

[firewoman]

A waterpik has really helped with my gum issues. Even with good oral hygeine without it my gums get unhappy, especially around the two crowns I have. I use listerine in the waterpik water, too.

[finnegansmom]

I have HORRIBLE bleeding gums....i'm pregnant now and it was my first symptom, just awful. Every time I brush my teeth its a massacre. I too have some gum issues, and my dentist said a water pik would help, seeing a few of your have said it will maybe I'll take the $ plunge. I don't have advice, as I'm struggling with this as well, just saying I am there with you.

[Snapdragon]

It sounds to me totally like a crown related issue. It sounds like you know you do not have perio disease- based on your regular dental visits and your good hygeine. And that much blood- equivalent to a nose bleed- and only that once, does not sound like pregnancy induced perio disease.
More like the extra blood from pregnancy and the hormones and stuff have activated something with those two front crowned teeth. See the dentist, I would say- and figure out what is up with that.

[rhiOrion]

I'm definitely having bleeding gums where I wasn't before. I have one spot between two teeth that has always bled easier than others, but I brush, floss, and use listerine twice a day and hadn't really had any problem with it in years.

But since I've been pregnant, sometimes when I floss that spot, plus some other spots BLEED. And I mean I'm spitting bright red blood into the sink.

So maybe your crowns are just making it worse?

[BlackSheepPDX]

That much bleeding sounds pretty unusual. I think whatever it is, is being exacerbated by pregnancy, but that there's something going on around the crowns. I get some bleeding when I brush, at a spot where I have a veneer and there's extra space for things to gather and irritate my gum, but never SEVERE, SPONTANEOUS bleeding. All the stuff about a water pik and a sonicare type toothbrush are good advice, but I'm inclined to think you should also have the dentist take a look to make sure there's nothing more serious going on.

[ledzepplon]

I just heard back from my OB/GYN and she thinks it nay be some kind of reaction to the crowns, and I should have the dentist check it out. If he doesn't have any answers she'll check for blood clotting issues.

Ah, the mysteries of pregnancy! My gut feeling is that there is something about the increased pregnancy hormones that is causing my gums to have a reaction to the crowns. Hopefully this won't happen again!!

[Chamsia]

When I was preggo the first time I had what my dentist said was the worst pregnancy gingivitis he'd ever seen. He had me:

-Get an oral B vitality sonic toothbrush. It's electric, costs $20 plus the replacement heads. I've had mine 3 years now and it's still working great. There are more expensive $100 ones (oral B or phillips, I think, just make sure it says sonicare). But this one has served me fine. Other moms I know with gingivitis problems have had great results too.

-Rinse with hydrogen peroxide (a sipful) every day, then floss before you rinse your mouth.

-floss a couple of times a day.

There's probably more, but these are what I'm thinking of now. I've been doing both and have had no problems between pregnancies, and just some minor bleeding this time (I'm 20 weeks).

Best wishes!