My braces are very close to my gums, is this okay?

Should be: Bracket position is dependent on the tooth movement and the size of your teeth. Regardless of the bracket position, you need terrific oral hygiene to prevent cavities and keep your gums healthy.

Maybe: Some orthodontists put the braces as close to the "gums" as possible to have the force of the braces as close to the center of resistance as possible. This makes the force system more efficient. However, I do not like to do that for hygiene reasons. The efficiency loss can be overcome by proper biomechanics or biological mechanical engineering. A competent orthodontist should have these skills.

Is ur hygiene good?: If your hygiene is excellent, it could be the result of the way your orthodontist has placed the attachments. If the distance wasn't the same when you first got your braces, it simply means you are not brushing enough and your body is trying to do it for you by sending your gums (actually white blood cells through blood) to clean up. That makes your gums swell up, get sensitive and bleed. brushhhh