Has anyone ever noticed that some African Americans have pink gums and other hav

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   Rodric29posted 12 years ago

   Has anyone ever noticed that some African Americans have pink gums and other have brown?
   
   Yes, it is a strange question. I noticed it in my kids and myself. I noticed that my gums are pink and some of my kids have brown gums. I wonder if there is something to this.

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   Mmargie1966posted 12 years ago

   WOW...good question.  I never noticed.  I will have to look now.

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   Express10posted 12 years ago

   I have, noticed this too. Just as there are variations within colors of various people, this also occurs in African Americans. I have noticed some black people have one pink area on the middle of their lower lip while the rest of their lips are a brown color. It depends on how much melanin the person's tissues produce. That will determine the coloring of various parts of their body. I don't think there's anything to it as far as some illness or genetic problem, it's kind of like being born with a birthmark. It's just there, doing no harm. Just make you unique.

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      Rodric29posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      This is what my wife told me. I didn't thing that it caused a disease. I remember when I was a kid we were told people with dark gums were poisonous. I did not connect that until you mentioned that the dark gums are not an illness.

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   wychicposted 12 years ago

   I have noticed, but only after my husband pointed it out. He was adopted by a black family in the 70s, and has had to deal with racist idiots most of his life. As a result, he can help me interpret some of the things said racist idiots do or say and why (in real life or in movies, etc.) -- which has included a pretty lengthy explanation of different shades of skin color, the difference between creole and Creole, etc. While it still doesn't make sense to me that people would act differently toward someone because of the difference between "ebony" and "high yellow," at least I can sort of figure out what someone is looking at if they make such a distinction.
   
   And yeah, nothing to it except some of the kids got a different gene handed down, in the same way that some kids get different hair color or eye color than their parents.

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      Rodric29posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I like this answer. I asked my wife because she also has brown gums. She says that it is something only Black people have and has to do with the amount of melanin in the skin. I feel educated now!

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      Megan Shookposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Very dark Hispanics (I personally know), Eastern Indians, and darker complected Asians have dark gums too. Its not just black people.

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   eaglecreekposted 12 years ago

   I have no idea but this has to be one of the funniest questions ever, LOL I love it!

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   Esther Strongposted 11 years ago

   I too have noticed that some black people have pink gums, some have brown and some have brown and pink combined and just thought oh well that's how we are and everyone's different.  I have also noticed some black people have one lip which is pinker/lighter in shade than the other.  Again pigmentation/melamin I guess. 
   
   You question has got me wondering if this colouring thing is only seen in afro/black races or do asians and caucasions have differing shades of gums and lip colour also.  Can't say I've noticed, but then I've never looked for it specifically.

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   Glen Ridgeposted 11 years ago

   After close to 40 years of being a dentist and treating people of many ethnic backgrounds, I can say with confidence that the brown coloration in gums (gingival tissues) of African-Americans or people from Asian countries such as India or Pakistan is melanin. This is a brownish pigment also seen in hair, skin, the iris of the eye and the tongue. I've even seen it in the roof of the mouth, the hard palate. It is perfectly normal and is produced by cells called melanocytes. It has a protective feature in the skin by blocking ultraviolet radiation from the sun. Studies have shown that the amount of melanin produced in the body is largely determined by genetic interaction. A medical school professor of dermatology would tell you that there are two types of melanin pigment production with many chemicals involved. There is also melanin in the brain. While delving that deep into the subject is appropriate in grad school, the previous explanation should suffice for our purposes here.

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   DaisysJourneyposted 10 years ago

   No, I notice teeth not gums, and I feel a little jealous because white teeth in African American faces look really white and really pretty.  When you're apricot-colored, white teeth are just boring and don't look very white.

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   Marvelous Menuposted 9 years ago

   My grand nephew (7 years old) was born with black gums. He has questioned it. That is the only answer that I have for him.

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