Hello y’all. The day has gone well so far, right? 😀

Do you have dark/black gums? Do you feel self conscious about this especially when you smile? Have you spent time wondering whether to see your dentist about it or just ignore it…hoping it doesn’t mean anything serious? Well, here’s the deal!

Black gums could be due to heredity (it runs in families) or ethnicity (if you’re from the black race, you’re more likely to have dark gums). Having said that it is more likely in dark skinned people, it can also happen in other ethnicities. Just as excessive exposure to sunlight can cause people to get darker, the same can happen to your gums.

However, it could also be due to diseases or certain drugs.
Diseases in which the pigment responsible for dark skin (melanin) is produced in excessive amounts, smoking, poor oral hygiene and even some anti-malarial drugs can cause dark gums.

If your case is due to ethnicity or heredity and you don’t mind it, then leave it well alone and smile away :D. However, treatment does exist for this and requires a dental procedure to be determined by your dentist. It could involve ‘peeling’ off the superficial outer layer of the gum where the darkness is or even gum bleaching etc. Where there is underlying disease, this also has to be treated and where smoking is the culprit, stopping is beneficial.

Enjoy the rest of the day 😀

Here’s to a healthier you!