{"id":942,"date":"2026-09-03T00:58:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T00:58:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/?p=942"},"modified":"2026-10-17T01:04:48","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T01:04:48","slug":"soft-spongy-gums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/03\/soft-spongy-gums\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does It Mean If You Have Soft, Spongy Gums?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When you touch your gums, they should feel somewhat firm. If they seem to be soft and spongy instead, it is typically a sign of an oral health issue. What exactly does it mean when you have soft and spongy gums? And what can your dentist<\/a> do to help you get the health of your smile back on track? Here\u2019s a brief overview of what you need to know to protect your gum health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What are Spongy Gums a Symptom Of?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Spongy gums are often a side effect of gum disease<\/a>, which is an infection of the tissues protecting the roots of your teeth. Gum disease starts off with relatively mild symptoms, but once it reaches its more advanced stages, it can potentially lead to tooth loss; it can also increase your risk for heart problems if it\u2019s left untreated for too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, spongy gums could be a sign that you have scurvy, which is a disease that occurs in individuals with a severe vitamin C deficiency. Untreated scurvy can cause your teeth to come loose and potentially fall out; it can also lead to anemia, swollen legs, and skin hemorrhages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can You Do About Spongy Gums?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once your dentist has determined the underlying cause of your spongy gums, they can help you put together a plan to treat the problem. If you have scurvy, the solution could be as simple as eating more foods that are rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, broccoli, and potatoes. It may also help to take vitamin C supplements; of course, you should speak to your regular health care provider before taking supplements of any kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your spongy gums are related to gum disease, your dentist may recommend a deep cleaning procedure that involves scaling and root planing. Scaling is the process of removing the plaque and tartar that is contributing to your gum disease; it largely focuses on the area around and below the gum line. Root planing is when the roots of the teeth are smoothed out, which lowers the chances of bacteria building up on them in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft, spongy gums are always a cause for concern. If you\u2019ve noticed anything unusual about your gums lately, you should make arrangements to see your dentist as soon as possible; they will be able to point you toward your best option for restoring your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Practice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

At LIC Dental Associates, our dentists in Long Island City want all of our patients to be able to enjoy a smile-worthy dental experience whenever they visit us. We\u2019ve kept up with the latest advancements in dentistry, and our wide menu of services lets us meet a variety of oral health needs. For patients with gum disease, we offer scaling and root planing along with other solutions. If you\u2019re worried about your gum health, you can schedule an appointment with our team by visiting our website<\/a>, using our online scheduling tool<\/a>, or calling (718) 530-6539.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When you touch your gums, they should feel somewhat firm. If they seem to be soft and spongy instead, it is typically a sign of an oral health issue. What exactly does it mean when you have soft and spongy gums? And what can your dentist do to help you get the health of your […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=942"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":945,"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/942\/revisions\/945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.licdentalassociates.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}