If you ever notice blood on your tooth brush after brushing your teeth, chances are that there is gum disease present. There should not be one drop of blood present on a brush or floss after use. These warning signs should be heeded earlier as opposed with later. Before you run to the dentist with bleeding gums, it is best to try a regimen of good oral hygiene first. Just simple but thorough brushing and flossing a couple of times a day can go a long way in stopping bleeding gums. I have actually had patients who have told me that they purposely did not floss because every time that they did, it made their gums bleed. What they didn’t realize was that by not flossing, it left the bacterial plaque behind that is the cause of the bleeding in the first place. The patients were thinking that the mechanical cleaning with the floss was what was causing the bleeding to occur, whereas, it was actually the gum disease itself that caused the problem. It may still take a trip to the dentist for a professional cleaning for the bleeding to subside. But by doing the good home care ahead of time, it can be the first step toward eliminating gum disease in your mouth.