I’m sure many people have experienced bleeding gums, usually most likely to occur when brushing their teeth or biting into food such as apples, or some may find red blood or clots in their saliva when they wake up in the morning. When gum bleeding occurs, friends around you may kindly remind you, “It’s time for you to take vitamin C supplements.” But are bleeding gums really the result of vitamin C deficiency? In fact, the real cause of bleeding gums is inflammation of the gums, and the culprits of gum inflammation are the plaque and calculus that accumulate on the surface of the teeth. The mouth is a bacterial environment in which a large number of bacteria live. The clean surface of the teeth is first covered by a film of saliva, and then a variety of bacteria settle on this film and gradually mature and grow, forming a small society of bacteria, which we call plaque. The metabolism of the bacteria in the plaque will produce many toxic substances, which will stimulate the gum tissue to form inflammation, and the gums in the inflammation state are congested and fragile, and will bleed easily when they are mechanically stimulated. Plaque can be removed by brushing at the beginning of formation, but if it is not removed in time, plaque will gradually mineralize with the calcium in saliva and turn into calculus, and the rough surface of calculus will attract plaque more easily, forming a vicious circle, thus aggravating the inflammation and bleeding of gums. Since bleeding gums are caused by plaque and calculus, why do many people’s consciousness think that bleeding gums are related to vitamin C deficiency? In fact, this misconception is not empty, vitamin C is also known as “ascorbic acid”, if the body is seriously deficient in vitamin C will get scurvy, one of the manifestations of this disease is swollen and bleeding gums, this gum performance is also known as “vitamin C deficiency gingivitis This gum manifestation is also called “vitamin C deficiency gingivitis”. The disease used to develop in people with extreme poverty and nutritional deficiencies, as well as in seafarers who were unable to replenish their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables for long periods of time, but with the improvement of people’s standard of living, the vitamin C consumed in their daily diet can generally meet their body’s needs, so the disease is now very rare. Although vitamin C deficiency is now less likely to be the cause of bleeding gums, there are still a number of other systemic factors that may be associated with bleeding gums. One of the more important factors is the use of anticoagulant medications. Now that China has gradually entered an aging society, many elderly people take anticoagulant medications for the purpose of preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases, and these medications may aggravate the symptoms of bleeding gums caused by plaque and calculus, making the amount of bleeding increase or the duration of bleeding longer. Another less common factor is blood system disorders such as hemophilia or leukemia. These diseases can cause spontaneous bleeding of the gums after reaching a certain level, that is, automatic bleeding without mechanical stimulation, and usually in large amounts that do not clot easily. Of course, the prevalence of blood disorders in the population is very low and can be easily ruled out with a simple blood test. The vast majority of bleeding gums we see on a daily basis are the result of plaque and calculus. The prevalence of bleeding gums is extremely high in the population, and most people suffer from bleeding gums to a greater or lesser extent. When faced with bleeding gums, some people are not surprised and take it for granted, while others are worried and do not like it. Should bleeding gums be treated or not, and what will happen if they are allowed to develop? In fact, bleeding gums are a signal from the body to tell us that the gums are inflamed, and if left unattended, gingivitis will slowly develop into periodontitis, and the alveolar bone around the roots of the teeth will gradually be destroyed, and the teeth will lose their support, slowly loosening and shifting and even falling out. Some expert studies have confirmed that teeth with recurrent bleeding gums have a tens of times higher risk of distant loss than teeth that do not bleed. Since bleeding gums cannot be left unattended, how should they be treated? It is not difficult to treat. As long as the disease-causing factors such as plaque and calculus are completely removed, the symptoms of bleeding gums will no longer exist. The removal of plaque mainly relies on daily oral cleaning measures, such as brushing and flossing, etc. Here we have to correct a misunderstanding of many people, some people are afraid to brush their teeth because they are afraid of bleeding, in fact, this will instead accumulate more plaque, thus further aggravating the inflammation and bleeding of gums. In contrast, calculus must be removed by professional means, such as scaling (commonly known as scaling), scraping and root planing. Self-maintenance of oral hygiene and professional cleaning are equally important for the treatment of bleeding gums, and one cannot be without the other. Because brushing cannot remove calculus, and without good oral hygiene habits, new calculus will soon grow even if the teeth are cleaned. In short, bleeding gums are not terrible, the key is to face it correctly and treat it actively. No bleeding gums is one of the oral health standards set by the World Health Organization, the pursuit of a healthy life, let us start with “teeth”.