Bleeding Gums Grimmak

One thing I've had since I can remember is bleeding gums. No dentist has ever told me I have gingivitis, and my gums are not receding, they just bleed every time I brush my teeth. I've tried everything - Listerine (which I heard can actually make things worse), flossing more regularly, using toothpastes for sensitive gums - to no avail.* I read a passage, though, in Gary Taubes' book (Good Calories, Bad Calories, which I showed y'all at the first paleo dinner) that describes a doctor who eliminated all carbs from his diet for a year to see if there were any ill effects - he found none, and he also strangely found that his gingivitis went away. This got me thinking. The more I research this, the more I am suspecting that the problem isn't in my mouth, it's somewhere else in my body. When your gums bleed, it means they're inflamed. If one tissue in your body is inflamed, it could indicate that tissues in other parts of your body are inflamed. Realizing this, I have been trying to pay close attention to my gums and how they change with the things I eat. I have found that when I eat generally low-carb, and I haven't been drinking that much, I bleed much less than when I've been eating things that irritate me and drinking more heavily. I also have found that when I eat sugar, and when I have high acidity in my body, the bleeding gets particularly bad. I am going to strive especially hard to not eat sugar, limit booze, and get my acid-base balance in order. Proper sleeping may also help, but I'm really not good at sleeping. Some people view eating as just something they have to do to stay alive, and if food came in pill form they'd eat it that way. I sort of feel that way about sleep. I do it because I need to, not because I love to. This is a problem, and may be wreaking havoc in my body.


*I think the common dental explanation for gum disease - that it is caused by plaque - is completely ludicrous. My bleeding gums persisted despite regular cleanings when I was still under my parents' insurance. I also don't brush very hard, and I generally use medium or soft toothbrushes.