My gums are growing over my brackets and bands...help

[ItsFreyja]

I realize this is an old thread, but I just have to say: extremely puffy, bleeding gums are not normal!!! Your body is trying to tell you that a nasty growth of bacteria (plaque) has been allowed to accumulate between the gumline and the molar band (or bracket) and is badly irritating the gum. The only fix is to remove the bacterial plaque. If it has been allowed to accumulate for a long time and turned into calculus (tartar), it needs to be professionally removed by a dental hygienist.

Also: I do think it is possible to feel like you're a faithful brusher and yet be failing to remove gumline plaque. Scrubbing hard, back and forth over the brackets with your toothbrush, even several times a day, can completely miss the plaque that is growing right at, and right below, the gumline. Getting visible pieces of food out of the brackets, wires, and biting surfaces of your teeth is really an entirely separate operation from removing plaque at and below the gumline.

[mittenpanda]

My braces are overdue for removal and I'm having the same issue... Aside from the fact that I have oligodontia, which means I was born without some of my teeth.. Eleven of my teeth to be exact... I digress. My issue made my orthodontist put permanent retainers in even though I'm still under treatment. Just recently, it seems like my gum is growing over the retainer, so I'll ask about it and post an update later... The swelling in the general spaces should go down since we are unnatually pullig and moving our teeth around.