Leaching gum is a dental condition with the gum. The gum is a mucosal tissue that acts as a protective barrier between the teeth and the bone structure beneath it. A condition like leaching gum causes the gum region to be irritated and inflamed. This irritation is sometimes triggered by some underlying oral health issues or by some individual activities during the oral routine. If you know the reason behind leaching gum, it will be easier to take steps that can prevent it from recurring and also seize the opportunity for early treatment with underlying oral health issues. In this article, we’ll look at the causes of leaching gum.
Understanding Leaching Gum
Leaching Gum is also known as bleeding gum occurs when this protective barrier gets irritated, inflamed, or infected and begins to bleed. This can happen when you’re brushing your teeth, flossing or it can happen on its own for other reasons.
There are common symptoms associated with this condition such as:
- Bleeding gums even without touching them
- Puffy and red looking gums
- Sensitive gums
- Bad breath that doesn’t go away easily
- Gums looking like they’re pulling away from the teeth
- Stick film (plaque) or hard deposit (tartar) on the teeth especially close to the gums
Causes of Leaching Gum
Poor oral hygiene: Every time you eat, bacteria in your mouth feast on the sugars and starches in your food. They produce acids that, along with food particles and saliva, form a sticky layer called plaque on your teeth. If you don’t brush and floss regularly, this plaque builds up, especially near your gums, causing them to get irritated and inflamed.
Following that, if the plaque isn’t removed, it hardens into tartar in just a day or two. Tartar sticks to your teeth and is much tougher to get rid of. You’ll need a dentist to remove this solidified buildup. Tartar makes gum irritation worse, leading to gum disease.
Chewing gum composition: There are different types of gum bases used in making chewing gum. These gum bases include natural latex (chicle) or synthetic materials like polyisobutylene. These bases are what determines the gum’s texture, how chewy it is and how the gum behaves in the mouth in general.
The type of gum base used to create chewing gum can affect how fast and how much of the chewing gum ingredients can leach into your mouth. For example, natural gum may dissolve slowly and evenly, while synthetic come bases can have varied leaching characteristics which can affect the gum health.
Smoking: During smoking, nicotine and tar enter your mouth. Nicotine reduces blood flow to the gums, while tar sticks to your teeth and gums, creating a sticky environment where bacteria can thrive. This weakens your gums’ ability to fight off infections, making gum disease more likely.
Systemic conditions: Like diabetes, and hormonal changes have their various impact on the amount of blood that flows to the gum area. High blood sugar levels can make it harder for blood to flow properly. Diabetes causes dry mouth which makes it easier for bacteria to stick around.
On the other hand, hormonal changes come with an increase in blood flow to the gums, making them more sensitive and likely to get inflamed. This makes it easier for plaque to cause gum disease.
Genetics: If gum disease runs in your family, you might be more likely to get it too. Your genes can affect how your immune system handles bacteria in your mouth.
Certain medications: Some medicines cause dry mouth as its side effects, reducing the amount of saliva you have. Saliva helps wash away food and bacteria, so less saliva means a higher chance of gum disease.
Age: As you get older, your gums naturally start to recede, which exposes more of your teeth to plaque. Older people might also find it harder to brush and floss properly which can lead to plaque and tartar formation overtime.
Diet: Eating a diet lacking essential nutrients, like vitamins C and D, can weaken your immune system, making it harder to fight off infections, including gum infections. Also diets high in sugars and refined carbs can increase plaque formation, leading to irritated and inflamed gums.
Conclusion
Gum disease can come from not brushing and flossing enough, smoking, health issues like diabetes, hormonal changes, some medications, family history, getting older, and what you eat. If you’re looking to keep your gums healthy, you have to make sure you brush and floss every day, steer clear of smoking, manage any health problems, and eat good food. And definitely visit your dentist regularly.
