Guide To The Causes Of Bleeding Gums

Thrombocytopenia

Thrombocytopenia occurs when an individual's blood has a low overall platelet (thrombocyte) count. Platelets are the part of the blood that's necessary to help with clotting. When the body recognizes there's a tear or other injury causing bleeding, the platelets go to patch up the hole by creating a blood clot. If there's an injury to a blood vessel, like a small rip in the wall, platelets will clump together until they've created a plug big enough to block the hole. When platelets aren't working properly, the result is a lot of bruising due to leaky blood vessels. Both children and adults are vulnerable to thrombocytopenia, but it's most commonly caused by another underlying medical condition or medication. Some cases are mild. With this condition, a patient's gums might bleed when they brush their teeth because their platelets aren't clotting the abrasions as quickly. There have been rare and serious circumstances in which the platelets were so low in number that it led to internal bleeding into the organs.

Hemophilia

Hemophilia is a rarely-occurring bleeding disorder in which the blood doesn't produce enough blood-clotting proteins, otherwise called clotting factors. Patients with hemophilia tend to bleed for longer periods after being injured than others would. Small abrasions don't tend to pose a huge issue, as long as individuals keep them clean and put pressure on them until they do clot. For individuals with a severe presentation of the condition, though, there is a concern about bleeding deep inside the body. Some hemophilia patients find they bleed into their elbows, ankles, and knees. Bleeding into the internal organs can cause serious, potentially life-threatening damage. Even when the blood isn't damaging vital organs, the condition can cause damage to the connective tissues and joints in the body. Affected individuals might bleed from the gums after brushing their teeth or eating acidic food. One thing to note is mild bumps on the head can be enough to cause bleeding inside the brain. If individuals have any neurological symptoms following a minor head wound, they should seek emergency treatment immediately.