Pink White
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011| Account limit of 2000 requests per hour exceeded. |
What are the possible causes of off-pink, white, or whitish gums?
My 16 year old brother (who is a cigarette smoker) has very faded off-pink or whitish gums. I know healthy gums should be pink, but his gums are a bit too pale to be pink, more like white in color. I'm worried and would like to know if he should see a dentist or a doctor. I read somewhere that this could happen if someone has a high white-blood cell count or an autoimmune disease... is this true? He is 6' tall, weighs 148 lbs, and has fair skin. Thanks!
It's a symptom of a lot of blood problems in general. It can indicate bleeding from ulcers, cancer, but it also includes aenemia caused by low iron. Is he a vegetarian or has he been growing very quickly or donating blood? That would explain it.
Basically make him take iron supplements for a while and see if the situation improves, unless he has frequent stomach aches or a very dark or red stool (excrements) or some other unexpliccable health problems in which case, get him to a doctor asap.