Understand Gum Health
Why Do Gums Get Puffy or Bleed With Braces?
Braces create extra places for plaque to collect, so careful cleaning matters—but persistent swelling or bleeding still deserves a dental or orthodontic assessment.
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Gum Health
Simple explanations for bleeding, soreness, recession, and prevention.
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Clear next steps for gum health.
Understand Gum Health
Why Do My Gums Hurt?
Sore gums can come from irritation, inflammation, a problem around one tooth, or changes that need dental evaluation; pain alone cannot identify the cause.
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What Is a Gum Graft?
A gum graft adds tissue over an exposed tooth root to address selected effects of gum recession, but the right approach depends on what the examination shows.
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Gum Disease and Heart Health: What Does the Evidence Show?
Gum disease is associated with cardiovascular disease, but an association does not prove that gum disease causes it or that treatment prevents heart attacks.
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Sjögren's Disease and Oral Health
Sjögren's disease can reduce saliva and make the mouth more vulnerable to cavities, irritation, and infection, so dental prevention becomes part of coordinated care.
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How Does Diabetes Affect Oral Health?
Diabetes can change the risk of gum disease, dry mouth, cavities, and slower healing. Learn what to discuss with your dental and diabetes-care teams.
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What Does a Periodontist Do?
A periodontist is a dental specialist focused on the gums, the bone and tissues supporting teeth, and dental implants.
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Why Can Some Medicines Make Gums Grow Over the Teeth?
Some medicines can cause gingival enlargement, in which gum tissue becomes fuller and may partly cover teeth. The change needs coordinated dental and medical assessment—not a medication change made alone.
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Why Are My Gums Swollen?
Swollen gums can reflect plaque-related inflammation, local irritation, or other health context, but the symptom alone cannot identify the cause.
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What Causes Black Triangles Between Teeth?
A black triangle is an open space below the contact between two teeth, and its appearance can reflect several features of the teeth, gums, and supporting bone.
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What Does Bone Loss Mean on a Dental X-Ray?
Bone loss on a dental X-ray describes reduced support around a tooth, but the image needs examination findings and earlier records for context.
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Why Can Gums Bleed When You Start Flossing?
Mild bleeding can happen when you begin flossing, but regular or persistent bleeding deserves attention rather than being treated as normal.
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What Is Periodontal Maintenance After Gum Treatment?
Periodontal maintenance is ongoing professional care after gum treatment, with visits and timing based on your gum health and clinical findings.
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What Is Gum Disease?
Gum disease is a broad term that includes gum inflammation and conditions affecting the deeper tissues that support teeth.
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Why Do Dentists Measure Your Gums?
Learn what periodontal probing records, why bleeding and attachment are noted, and why dental teams compare gum measurements over time.
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Do Gums Grow Back? How to Read Receding-Gum Claims
A calm guide to evaluating claims that products or home remedies can regrow receding gums without diagnosing or selecting treatment.
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Gingivitis Basics: What Early Gum Inflammation Means
Gingivitis means inflammation of the gums, often related to plaque; learn what the term does and does not tell you and why a dental assessment matters.
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What Dentists Mean by Gum Pockets
What are gum pockets? Learn what dental teams measure, what the numbers can and cannot tell you, and when professional context matters.
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Gum Recession Basics: What Receding Gums Means
Gum recession means the gum edge has moved away from its earlier position, but its cause and significance require dental evaluation.
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Plaque at the Gumline: Why That Border Matters
Plaque can collect where teeth meet the gums. Learn how gentle gumline brushing, daily between-teeth cleaning, and professional tartar removal fit together.
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What Healthy Gums Usually Look and Feel Like
Healthy gums are usually comfortable and fit closely around the teeth, but appearance alone cannot confirm gum health.
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Why do my gums bleed when I brush?
Bleeding when you brush is often linked to gum inflammation from plaque, but bleeding alone cannot identify the cause or diagnose gum disease.
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Kids & Parents
Guidance for children, parents, and family oral health routines.
Browse topicTooth Problems
Understand pain, sensitivity, cavities, cracks, and changes in your teeth.
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What common dental recommendations mean and how to think them through.
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