INTRODUCTION

Tender gums which bleed easily is a sign that you may have some gum disease. We often think that clean teeth are the only factor which represents oral health. But gums are equally important as a part of our oral health as well as in over-all health. Tenderness or gums with bleeding can be a symptom of some generalized disease condition as well.

CAUSES

There are man causes which can lead to tender and bleeding gums. These can be local as well as systemic. Following are the common causes for this condition:

Faulty brushing technique: Vigorous brushing of teeth in order to keep them extra-ordinarily clean, can lead to gum injury as our gums are made of soft tissues. Also, one should be careful while selecting the type of brush bristles. The bristles should be soft and made up of nylon with blunt ends. Hard and even medium hard bristles may damage the enamel of your teeth as well as the injury of gums.
Brushing technique also matters, so make sure that you use it gently in a circular motion to clean your teeth and gums. Try to avoid back and forth motion of brush as this can cause soreness of gums with bleeding.
Wrong flossing technique: Flossing is important to keep your teeth clean from the areas where brush cannot reach. But if that is not done properly, can injure your gums leading to pain and bleeding as well. It should be done gently by sliding it up and down along the outline of your teeth, rather than forcing it in between your teeth.
Gum disease: Gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis can cause tender and bleeding gums. These are the commonest gum disease which can develop by improper brushing technique, leading to plaque formation on the teeth and bacterial growth over it. This bacterial invasion may lead to inflammation of your gums as a protective response by our body and result in redness, swelling and bleeding from gums.
Gingivitis can be reversed easily and sometimes only by maintaining oral hygiene, if detected earlier. But if left without treatment, it may progress further and transform into higher disease termed as periodontitis.
Periodontitis is disease in which along with the above symptoms, gums retract down from the teeth and make them loose and more prone to infection and even can cause loss of tooth if left untreated.
Take medical advise if you have following symptoms:

-Receding gums

-Red, swollen and tender gums

-Continuous foul breath or foul taste in mouth

-Looseness of teeth

-Changes in the fitting of dentures, like change in the way the fit with each other on biting.

-Bleeding gums, during and after tooth brush, etc.

Mouth ulcers: Also termed as canker sores, these are one of the commonest causes for bleeding and tender gums. Mouth ulcers can develop anywhere inside the mouth including tongue and gums. They present as a crater having whitish center with red boundary along with pain and tenderness. It may occur multiple at as time or may be present only one at a time. These tend to bleed especially while brushing as the chances of hitting them hardly at that time are too high.
Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes particularly I women during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause can lead to congestion of blood or increased blood flow in the oral cavity making it prone to bleeding along with redness, swelling and increased sensitivity. Some girls might have bleeding gums before each menstruation which subsides as the menstrual flow begins. This condition is also common among women taking oral contraceptive pills.
Vitamin C deficiency: This condition is also termed as scurvy and can lead to bleeding gums.
Ill-fitted dentures may also lead to tender and bleeding gums
Other uncommon causes include, use of blood thinners, bleeding disorders which are rare in occurrence, vitamin K deficiency, leukemia, etc. People who smoke or chew tobacco and persons taking chemotherapy are also prone for this condition.

PREVENTION

There are some common tips which can help in preventing tender and bleeding gums which are described below:

Brush your teeth properly using right technique and should be done two times a day. Do not brush for more than a minute as this may also lead to soreness of gums and make them prone to injury. This is also harmful for tooth enamel.
Floss your mouth daily as this prevents flaking and further problems related to this.
Use anti-septic mouth wash to rinse your mouth free from bacteria.
Plenty of water intake should be added to your routine as this helps to flush off the remnants of food consumed by you throughout the day and prevents growth of bacteria in your mouth.
A balanced diet should be consumed to prevent deficiency of nutrients essential for healthy gums and teeth which are mainly vitamin C and calcium.
Avoid tobacco chewing and smoking to keep your teeth and gums healthy and clean.
Avoid excessive hot and cold food and drinks especially when you already having the symptoms of unhealthy gums.

TREATMENT

Along with maintaining the oral hygiene, treatment of tender and bleeding gums depends upon the underlying cause. If nutrient deficiency is the cause, balanced diet with vitamin C supplements should be taken. Under medicinal intervention there are many homeopathic medicines which can cure tender and bleeding gums gently and rapidly as well. Following is a list of commonly used best homeopathic medicines for tender gums that bleed easily: Alumina: Indicated for sore and bleeding gums with foul odor from mouth. Teeth are covered with sordes and dryness of mouth. Best suited to people who takes cold easily. Argentum nitricum: For scorbutic gums with tenderness. Accompanied by canker sores on mouth. Tongue has prominent papillae with red and painful tip and altered taste in mouth. Arsenicum album: To be given for unhealthy gums which bleeds easily. When accompanied with ulceration of mouth with dryness and burning heat sensation in mouth. Calcarea sulphurica: It is a biochemic remedy which helps in eczema and skin eruptions, boils, pimples, swollen, tender gums that bleed easily. Carbo vegetabilis: For retracted gums which bleed easily and are accompanied with sensitiveness of teeth especially during when chewing. For bleeding of gums especially while brushing the teeth. Kreosote: Indicated for spongy and bleeding gums especially when accompanied by very rapid deacy of teeth. Suited to children having very painful dentition leading to even sleepless nights. Putrid odor comes from the mouth with bitter taste. Mercurius solubilis: Should be given when there are spongy gums, which recede and bleeds easily. This accompanied with metallic taste in mouth and increased salivation and thirst for water.

Tender gums that bleed easily