Is bleeding gums a sign of vitamin deficiency? First, understand why we brush our teeth

Bleeding while brushing, teeth that aren't white, food getting stuck between teeth when eating... Almost everyone has questions about their teeth. How do you judge the health of your teeth? And how should you improve and maintain them? The answers you're looking for may be below.

Good teeth, enjoyable meals. Image: 4gifs.com

Q1. Are white teeth the sign of healthy teeth?

Answer by / Master of Medicine Shen Bing

The color of your teeth says nothing about your health.

The surface of a tooth has a layer of transparent enamel, and the inner layer is light yellow dentin, so normal teeth should lookfaintly yellow through the transparency. The color depth of each person's teeth varies because each person's dentin has a different degree of mineralization. The process of dentin development can also be affected by various factors, and may produce black-yellow or chalky white coloration - this is what is known as tetracycline teeth or dental fluorosis.

Clean, free of cavities, strong, straight, and with healthy gums - that matters more than white.

There's no need to blindly chase whiteness. Image: Pixabay

Q2. Brushing is such a hassle - can rinsing replace it?

Answer by / Guokr Content Director Mo

Rinsing cannot remove dental plaque.

The main purpose of brushing isto remove dental plaque, which is a community of microorganisms adhering to the surface of teeth or other soft tissues in the mouth. They attach quite firmly and must be removed by mechanical friction - brushing and professional cleaning. The human mouth is naturally a breeding ground for bacteria, and after a whole night of "incubation" during sleep, the number of bacteria in the mouth peaks when you wake up. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing twice a day as optimal - once before bed and once after waking up.

However, if you have just eaten acidic food, such as orange juice, yogurt, or sweets, the enamel on your teeth will soften, and at this timeyou should not brush immediately, otherwise you will damage this protective shell.

Q3. So should you brush after meals or not?

Answer by / Master of Medicine Shen Bing

The premise is mastering the correct brushing method.

If you brush very roughly and your toothbrush bristles are very hard, over time you will alsowear down your tooth enamelfor nothing, and the loss outweighs the gain. The bacteria that cause cavities love sucrose most (followed in order by glucose, maltose, lactose, fructose, sorbose, and xylitol), so if a particular meal consists mainly of vegetables like greens and radishes, there's no need to worry too much about cavities.

Q4. Food gets stuck between my teeth when I eat - can I use a toothpick?？

Answer by / Master of Medicine Shen Bing

Try a toothpick - can it fit into your gap between teeth? If it can, there's definitely a problem.

The correct use of a toothpick. Image: Pixabay

The middle parts between teeth are tightly pressed together, but the cervical area (the part near the gums, the place where food is most easily stuck) has small gaps. When using a toothpick, you basically use the gums as a fulcrum to pry out what's stuck in the gaps. This kind ofrough methodeasily compresses and damages the gums. Unless your teeth are already sparse and the tooth roots are somewhat exposed, most people should not use toothpicks regularly.

Q5. Why do my gums bleed when I brush?

Answer by / Master of Medicine Shen Bing

Bleeding gums are not a sign of vitamin deficiency - they are mostly due to gingivitis.

Long-term severe vitamin C deficiency can indeed cause bleeding, red, and swollen gums, but unless you go two or three months in a row without eating vegetables, fruit, milk, or other foods containing vitamin C,the vast majority of gum bleeding is a sign of gingivitis。

Gingivitis is an inflammatory reaction caused by dental plaque around the gums, especially in the gingival sulcus, and is the mildest form of periodontal disease. This plaque that is not removed in time will mineralize and formcalculus, which not only makes it easier for bacteria to adhere, but also irritates and compresses the gum tissue, worsening the inflammatory reaction.

The process by which periodontal attachment is gradually lost, irritants increase, and the alveolar bone is destroyed.

Inflamed gums turn red and darker, become swollen and spongy, and bleed easily. If left untreated, gingivitis will further develop into periodontitis, affecting the alveolar bone. As the bone is slowly lost, the teeth lose their support and begin to loosen,ultimately leading to tooth loss。

Q6. Could a professional dentist give oral care advice?

Answer by / Peking University School of Stomatology Dentist Xu Tongkai

First, brush correctly and thoroughly every morning and evening. Second, you should also add dental floss and an oral irrigator as aids.

Food residue and bacteria remain on tooth surfaces, between teeth, and in the gingival sulcus, easily causing cavities, calculus, and periodontitis,and some gaps cannot be cleaned even by brushing. Dental floss is used to clean these places. But for ordinary people, it's rather hard to stick with flossing. My family and I all use an oral irrigator, and I recommend it to my patients too.

An oral irrigator is also called a water flosser, and it uses the impact of high-pressure pulsating water flow to clean food residue and dental plaque that a toothbrush cannot reach.

A water flosser can effectively remove dental plaque - doesn't it look super satisfying?

For ordinary people, this is a cleaning experience and health safeguard you can gain by investing 1 minute.People with periodontitis, implants, or orthodonticsespecially need it.

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