When was the last time you had your teeth professionally cleaned?
I should probably explain. Spontaneous bleeding is the hallmark sign of periodontitis, which you mention that you have.
I would suggest scheduling appointment with your dentist for a regular cleaning. Insurance companies suggest that teeth should be cleaned every 6 months, that is in reality not the case. I would indeed support for a healthy individual to have his or her teeth debrided every 6 months, which those who have some sort of systemic disease, or in your case periodontitis (which dental community is currently working to be recognized as one of the systemic diseases) - in such cases professional cleaning should be scheduled at least once every 3-4 months.
If you do not have insurance I would contact nearest dental hygiene school. They do cheap and thorough cleanings, as well as take x-rays, oral cancer screening and oral self care education.
I paid $1,000 to have that done the last time I was home in the USA.
I'm currently in Mexico and don't really trust them for that. So summer of 2011.
Thanks for your feedback. I thought it had something to do with that.
But are there other illnesses that this bleeding could be associated with?
Mazmagi,
Would you mind me to ask what exactly did you have done for 1,000$?
There are quite a few: gingivitis/periodontitis, vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), vitamin K deficiency, pregnancy (hormonal change), leukemia, tons of systemic and blood related diseases (i.e. hemophilia), last but not least..."trench mouth". Like I said there are literally hundreds of possibilities, still most common one is - presence of plaque/tartar/calculus below gingival margins.
That was for the special cleaning (forgive me for not knowing the exact terminology) they do for people with periodontitis. They scrape and clean the plaque off in four quadrants (or two-half one appt. the other the next appt.) It's not just cleaning like brightening your teeth and it actually may have been more. Though it was with my place of insurance (health) I do not have dental insurance, just medical. This was in MN. (not MX) Stuff is cheaper here but I don't feel safe do anything medical or dental here.
Thanks for the list of possibilities. The only one I can rule out is pregnancy. I'll research the rest. Sorry, it took me so long to check back on this.
Thanks Caliban!