Got Bloody Gums?
This entry was posted on Thursday, December 8th, 2005 at 9:10 am and is filed under General Dentistry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
10 Responses to “Got Bloody Gums?”
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December 23rd, 2005 at 11:05 pm
It wasn’t until recently did I learn that your gums should never bleed - even after flossing! I’m a first year dental student and realize even more the importance of dental health. I started my own Dental Blog to show other predents what dental school is really like.
December 27th, 2005 at 9:36 am
I think it is currently the dental profession’s biggest uphill battle to convince the general public that their gums should never bleed. Unfortunately far too many oral health practioners continue to sound like broken records when they tell patients they should floss more. What they really should be telling their patients is that they’ve got gum disease, educating them about what it is and what it could lead to and then asking them if would like to do something about it. But to just hope that they’ll floss more, and that maybe the gum disease will go away if they do, is not the standard of care in our office. A patient could suffer 6 more months of the adverse health effects of gum disease if they get sent away and told to floss more. That is unacceptable.
December 29th, 2005 at 6:24 am
This is so important for the lay public to understand. It is even more important for the medical profession to comprehend that dentists can help prevent cardiovascular accidents like heart attack and stroke, if only given the opportunity to do so.
In our office, we have begun testing our patients for C-reactive protein, a key marker in the succeptibility of patients. We are also testing patients with bleeding gums for diabetes.
For as long as I’ve been a dentist (30 years) prevention of dental disease has been a cornerstone of our practice. Now, in these enlightened times, we are aiding the physicians in identifying the patients in our practices that are at risk.
I’ve recently brought in lunch to two local “primary care” offices, and helped to educate their teams about these new ideas. The most recent issue of AARP talks about things the individual can do to protect their hearts. Their number one factor: FLOSS AND SEE YOUR HYGIENIST AT LEAST TWICE A YEAR!
February 26th, 2006 at 4:19 pm
Dr. Chris,
This is a passion of mine also. I wish more DDS would have your mind set. I am always educating my patients about this subject. I tell them that blood was very cleverly designed. It is a literal,”RED FLAG”. If your arm is bleeding, you don’t say, “Oh, my arm is bleeding.” and go about your business, you would tend to it. Why is it any different with your gums? You are absolutley correct when you say it is because they aren’t being told!! It is our responsibility to be educating the people who are putting their trust in us. If we are not being pro-active in this area, we are not serving our patients the way the deserve to be served!!! Keep up the good work on your end, I will keep it up on mine, our patients will understand the implications of bleeding gums and we will make a difference!!
September 11th, 2006 at 12:06 pm
My friend was a sufferer of bloody gums until he tried Dr. Katz’s products to cure and prevent gum damage. Check out drkatz.com for more information and free samples. This guys stuff really works!
November 24th, 2006 at 10:42 pm
Bloody gums can be an indication of more serious systemic diseases involving clotting disorders. Care should be taken not to miss these systemic diagnoses.
Eric Shmookler
November 27th, 2006 at 11:00 am
With our therapeutic protocol to get gum disease undewr control we have found that if we can’t get it under control we then need to look for otyher possible reasons for the problem. Diabetics have a harder time getting the bleeding under control than the average person.
December 27th, 2006 at 6:09 pm
This is a great post. I have written about this on my site too. Keep up the good work.
December 29th, 2006 at 8:44 pm
excellent post lots of good comments
January 7th, 2007 at 2:56 am
This whole topic is about to spread through the dental community like wildfire in 2007! I’ll be educating dentists and their teams for a full day at the Oregon Dental Association’s annual meeting:
Chris S. Kammer, DDS
Thursday, April 12, 2007
1. 9 am – 12 pm
2. 1:30 – 4:30 pm
3 CE credits for each course
ODA course
Recommended for: dental team
1. Periodontal disease and systemic health, part I
The route to systemic health begins with oral health. There is an overwhelming and ever growing body of correlations between oral and systematic health. The medical community is learning ways to work together with the dental community to add years to patient’s lives. The risks were once thought to be losing teeth, but it goes way beyond that now. It’s about life and death and zero tolerance for bleeding gums. There are new standards that should begin to reverse the embarrassing statistics regarding the amount of untreated periodontal disease in the general public and in our very own practices. The C-Reactive protein (C-RP) and the inflammation reaction will be discussed, including whether or not C-RP is the “new cholesterol” and what risks are associated with increased levels as well as what are the dental therapies to reduce these levels?
At the conclusion of this program, attendees will understand:
• The health risks of bleeding and inflamed gums and the body’s response to gum disease
• The scientific discoveries about inflammation and its roles in a variety of diseases
2. Periodontal disease and systemic health, part II
The afternoon session will include information about the new systemic health role of dentistry which involves medical testing, whether it is done in your office or ordered from a lab. The holistic and nutritional approach in which nutritional components heal and strengthen blood vessel walls and help gain control of oral health will be discussed, as well as antibiotic options for problem areas.
Wouldn’t we all like gums of steel? Learn the home protocol to give you the best chance for optimal oral health and learn about advanced home care utilizing modern technology and antibacterial agents. Dr. Kammer will also help to break down diagnosis and treatment planning. Communication is the key to this new health model and will be covered in depth in order to aid with patient acceptance, appreciation and awareness.
At the conclusion of this program, attendees will be able to:
• Understand the holistic and nutritional approach to gaining control of oral health
• Create a simplified plan to identify the level of disease and correlate the definitive treatment protocol to get it under control
• Help patients accept and appreciate this new health model
Dr. Chris Kammer graduated from Marquette School of Dentistry in 1981. He has dedicated his career to raising the public’s dental I.Q. Dr. Kammer has served as the chief dental advisor for Reader’s Digest Publications and NPR’s Peabody award-winning program “Wait, wait…Don¹t Tell Me!” and has been interviewed by publications and radio stations coast-to-coast. Dr. Kammer¹s advanced cosmetic and orthodontic training is extensive. He is a founding member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry where he was awarded placement as a top three finalist for his casework as judged by a jury of the world’s most respected cosmetic dentists. Dr. Kammer is one of the country’s top ten Invisalign providers and was awarded the title of Invisalign Innovator for his advanced certification and experience.