Six Things Parents Can Do When Their Children Have Bleeding Gums

Parents invest in toothbrushes that come in a plethora of cartoon character shapes and colors; they do not bat an eyelash at spending more money than necessary on children’s toothpaste simply because it features a mermaid or tastes like a mix of apples and bubble gum. Yet these same parents are shocked at their child’s yearly checkup to be told that in addition to bleeding gums, there is a good chance that junior might be developing some cavities along the way. Fortunately, there are six things parents can do when their children have bleeding gums to ensure that developing conditions are nipped in the bud.

1. Review the history of the child’s dental visits. If the visits are further than six months apart, it is vital that parents or caregivers make a concerted effort to get the child seen, examined and evaluated for periodontal disease (of which bleeding gums may be an indicator) at regular six month intervals.

2. If the child has been seen regularly and there is a marked increase in periodontal disease, bleeding gums, and perhaps even cavity development, it is imperative for the child to undergo a complete physical examination at their pediatrician’s office. There is a possibility that bleeding gums and associated symptoms point to other disease of the body, such as diabetes, which as of yet may have remained undetected.

3. Dental professionals need to evaluate any and all medications the child is taking. Several will have dry mouth as a side effect which, in turn, will accelerate the problems caused by plaque forming bacteria. This, of course, evidences itself in bleeding gums, swollen gums, and even receding gums as well as bad breath. Should dry mouth be the case, then care must be taken to either switch the medication or increase the child’s fluid intake. In addition to the foregoing, oral hygiene products that might be drying out the mouth as well need to be avoided.

4. Reinforcing proper oral hygiene techniques is another vital step that may be begun in the dentist’s office and then needs to be furthered in the home under parental or caregiver supervision.

5. Parents will do well to reinforce oral hygiene by role modeling. It is one thing to ask children to engage in a certain behavior, yet it is quite another to actually have them observe the parents do the same thing.

6. Last but not least, ascertaining if the children are receiving injuries to their gums is imperative. This may evidence itself as a show of bleeding gums after working out or if the child complains that she or he was hit in the mouth during play or an activity. Such reports must be brought to the dentist’s immediate attention to rule out any non-surface damage to the teeth and jaw structure that might adversely impact the child’s dental health in the future.

Even as these six things parents can do when their children have bleeding gums will not guarantee an immediate reversal of any condition, it will quickly and decisively ferret out the root of the dental problems and thus enable dentist, parent and child to work together to achieve better oral health for the child.