FAQ: "My gum bleeds when I brush my teeth, is it serious?"

FAQ: "My gum bleeds when I brush my teeth, is it serious?"

I'm often asked this question: "Why does my gum sometimes bleed while I brush (or floss)?"  

Answer:  It is not as simple as you brushed too hard and caused it to bleed (which could happen but rarely is the reason). Usually, your gum bleeds when it is inflamed. The appearance of gum could be red (vs. pink is healthy) to purple and puffiness (round, bulging out).  That is caused by bacteria. The conditions is often referred to as "gingivitis" (inflammation of the gum tissue).  If you started flossing daily between the teeth with the right technique, this may improve (our dental assistant is awesome with a flossing demo to help you get all the tough spots). But you'd want this bleeding problem diagnosed by your dentist to see what is the best course of action. 

There can be more problems beyond gingivitis --a true gum disease ("periodontitis") accompanied by bone lost, or dental trauma, so it is better to seek help from your dentist (feel free to contact us if you don't have one yet) as soon as you notice any gum bleeding happening.  Periodontitis is always better off treated at an earlier stage (there are different therapy options for different stages, ask me during your dental visit);   99% of patients I encounter (and manage) don't need surgical intervention, (I have several tricks in the bag to help you avoid surgery), but you should know that severe periodontitis usually require surgery (think diagnosed late or discovered earlier on but not actively treated for years).  

(updated 9-9-2019) 

all rights reserved, Dr Cindy Ko, DDS, Dr Ko's family dentistry, serving north San Diego (UTC/ UCSD, Carmel Valley, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Highland, Torrey Hills, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa and surrounding areas) 

this post is dedicated to one of my most respected, kind-hearted colleague, it is her birthday today :-)  Happy Birthday, Ms T! 

STARTERS FAQ'S

STARTERS FAQ'S: 

1. How many teeth am I supposed to have? 

Answer:  Most adults have 28-32 permanent teeth in their mouth, the number also depends on how many wisdom teeth you grew or how many permanent teeth you have removed (maybe for braces). 
Children, by the time they are 2 1/2 to 3 years old, have 20 teeth.  That's the complete set of their baby teeth.  Then they start to grow new molars in the back around 6 years old (these can be sealed and protected, ask us about "dental sealants" during your dental visit).   

If you have child(ren), you'll notice that baby teeth typically start to fall out during the ages of 6 to 11, they occur in stages.  Many kids start to shed their front baby teeth (replaced by wider and less-white permanent teeth) around 5-6 years old. It is a long process, so you'd want to help your kiddo keep those baby teeth health so they don't suffer dental pain that can accompany deep cavities (which is avoidable if things are done correctly from prevention to diagnosis treatment, and can be minimized even if things got off on the wrong foot such as night-time bottle feeding) before these teeth are acquired by the Tooth Fairy.  

2. When should I start taking my child to see a dentist? And do I need to find a pediatric dentist? 

Congrats:  You've come to the right place for kiddo teeth questions!  Our Dr Ko is so gentle with kids and with lots of experience since back in her dental school days (she was part of a group of about 15 dental students in a class of 180+ who received extensive hands-on training year-round on treating children, the training totaled in hundreds of clinical hours); she continues to see children all these years and is still her son's pre-school and elementary friends' favorite dentist in the community.  Over the past several years, Dr Ko has also become known by local parents to be the go-to dentist for children's dentistry if the parents desired conservative treatment to preserve teeth.  Taking continued education courses in pediatric dentistry is also on Dr Ko's annual calendar, so she stays current on the newest materials and concepts.  

Answer:  We welcome you to bring you baby to meet us during your routine visit!  Or set a special time for a meet-and-greet for your little one with Dr Ko and her team!  (We have dedicated family hours each month, during which it is okay for little stumping feet to explore around and little hands to feel our tools in a show-and-tell. Ask us about it!) 

Children can formally have their own dental visit as soon as their first teeth are erupted.  (Often between 4 months to 8 months.)  (Many pediatricians in the community recommend first dental visit to dentist by one year old.)  At our office, for your child's dental visit, parent attendance is required, and grandparents and nanny are invited too.  Don't be nervous moms and dads, your baby won't be scared-- we just look and check to make sure things are progressing normally in the mouth, and have Q & A time for parents to learn how to care for those tiny teeth and mouth and discuss nutrition concerns.  

We find that this is something rarely explained to parents in the community:  While some children will benefit from being seen in a specially design environment with a specialist office that offers sedation and/or nitrous-oxide (special health needs, sensory needs, etc), most children do very well with a family dentist like ours who is trained to work with children.  Did you know? Many dental conditions have hereditary or familial factors (gum disease, childhood decay, crowded teeth, etc) so it is beneficial for your family members to share one family dentist-- she has insights to the parents' oral health condition and so she can judge the child's risk factors with more confidence.  Dr Ko performs dentistry for children without any drugs (laughing gas not required, sometimes numbing not required either), and if your child needs these additional support, Dr Ko also has access to several reputable specialists in the area to recommend for you. So you can definitely schedule your child's first dental wellness visit with us with the peace of mind that he or she will get the highest level of care.  

We understand that above is easier said than done (finding one dentist for the whole family) because we observe that many general dentist don't see children; it could be that their practice is too busy to slow down (you have to take the time to talk the language for kids so you don't intimidate them) or they have forgotten how to deal with little ones (standard dental education could be two one-week rotations in the clinic treating kids, out of a 4-year education). That is why Dr Ko made "becoming the trusted dentist for the entire family" her career goal.  But we also understand that dentists are like teachers, that kids may bond with a certain dentist better than another.  So we will gladly meet and evaluate your child even if you are not a current patient of ours. :-)  


3. How do I contact you for more questions or to make an appointment? 

Answer:  We proudly announce that Dr Ko's care is not only reasonably affordable (our office accepts major PPO plans), but she also stays at the forefront of tele-medicine, she has implemented triage by reading photos patients take on their cell-phones.  Busy working families can get an urgent question answered by email or text, even after hours. (Dr Ko is a mom, she currently works part-time in the office for regular appointments, but she is available by messages 7 days a week for our patients of record --should you have any urgent issues.) 

Here are ways you can reach us: 

1. email us appointment requests to DoctorKoDDS@hotmail.com  (for fastest response) 

2. Facebook private message 
visit www.Facebook.com/CindyKoDDS 

3. leave voicemail at 
(858)MVD-DrKO  (MVD: most valuable dentist :-) )
that is (858) 683-3756

Due to increasing demand, we are expanding our hours soon, but rest assure that you will continue to enjoy a boutique experience and personalized care that is so rare to find these days!    

(updated 9-9-2019) 

and stay tuned... more coming soon!  

all rights reserved, Dr Cindy Ko, DDS, Dr Ko's family dentistry, serving north San Diego (UTC/ UCSD, Carmel Valley, Pacific Highlands Ranch, Torrey Highland, Torrey Hills, Sorrento Valley, Mira Mesa and surrounding areas)

Glad you found my "dental questions" blog!

Glad you found my "dental questions" blog

Hello and welcome, 

My name is Cindy Ko, I am a general dentist by training and I have over 15 years of clinical experience working with both adults and children. I work in private practice in north San Diego area, and I'm also a mom of a pre-schooler. So I'm starting this blog on my spare time. While "the website" won't seem as complete as commercially-launched dental information sites, I intend to include the information I feel that is the most relevant to the (north San Diego)* local communities my practice serves. For the very least, my patients can come here to review topics we discussed during their visits. 

* some examples of nearby communities and employers our practice serves: (including but not limited to) UTC, La Jolla, UCSD, Salk Institute, Sanford Burnham Research, Sorrento Valley, QualComm campus, Mira Mesa, Del Mar, Torrey Pines, Carmel Valley, and Pacific Highlands Ranch. 

In recent years, I have focused on families' primary care, with an emphasis on 1. prevention of dental decay (cavities) and gum disease (periodontitis) and 2. disease management (slowing down the bacterial disease process). Often, there are good information available from specialist dentists' websites on areas that are beyond the scope of my practice (such as fully bony-impacted wisdom teeth, root canal re-treatment, or surgical implant placement, etc), my patients can simply comment below and I will reply to you with more reference.

In this blog, I hope to gradually build a wealth of information that I share with my patients on regular basis. They often tell me: "Dr Ko, you are the first dentist who told me about this." Perhaps it's my style (I don't like to rush, and want to make sure patients understood the cause of their condition and how to prevent it from getting worse or from occurring again.), or perhaps it is the big environment of increasing numbers of large, busy practices, maybe practitioners and their staff don't always realize patients didn't have their questions answered by the end of their visit. 

Just a friendly reminder: 

1. Informational blog articles written by me are meant to be a reference, or maybe a start point of gathering information in your dental care decision process. They are not substitution for seeing a dentist for thorough exam and diagnosis. 

2. In this day and age, there are so much information available over the internet that anyone can look up readily. But beware of what you read, and always consult with your dentist before trying over-the-counter products and products you can purchase over the internet. 

3. And remember to inform your dentist about any recent change in your health status (allergies, medications, systemic diseases, etc) because these factors may affect how he or she helps you to keep your mouth healthy.** 

** more in future blogs... such diabetes, pregnancy, coronary heart disease 

Wish you healthy smiles, everyday! --Dr Ko