Gum inflammation is one of the most common dental problems. The cause of inflammatory processes is often poor oral care and non-compliance with rules and regulations of hygiene, as well as injuries to the mucous membranes, accompanied by a violation of their integrity. It happens that inflammation begins after treatment at the dentist. If a patient’s gums become inflamed after going to the doctor, they should visit the dental office again, since this symptom almost always indicates the need for repeated medical intervention.
Slight soreness and swelling of the gums may be normal after complex dental treatment (for example, depulpation), but these signs should not be of high intensity or last more than 24 hours. Inflammation following extraction should also resolve within 48-72 hours after surgery. In all other cases, it is necessary to find out the cause of inflammation and take timely measures to prevent complications.
The gums became inflamed after dental treatment
Causes of edema
Swelling of the gums is a consequence of penetration of pathogenic bacteria into the soft tissues, causing infection.
Provoking factors:
- tartar formed due to poor oral hygiene;
- advanced form of caries;
- untreated stomatitis;
- infectious diseases of the throat;
- mechanical damage to soft tissues;
- difficult teething;
- immunodeficiency;
- vitamin deficiency (mostly severe lack of vitamin C);
- herpes virus activity;
- allergies to dental drugs or materials;
- development of purulent processes inside the tooth;
- the presence of tumors on the tooth root;
- gum diseases.
Before making a diagnosis, the dentist will definitely prescribe diagnostics to determine the internal state of the tissues, which will more clearly define the clinical picture and identify the main cause of the pathology.
Gel for teething. How to choose?
If a child becomes restless and capricious during the teething period, first of all you need to create a calm environment for him, pay him more attention, pick him up more often, hug him, and talk to him.
Pain can be relieved mechanically or with medications. You can massage the gums with a clean finger or a rubber brush, let your baby suck on a dryer or chew on a teether, especially a cooled one. There are special dental gels to relieve gum pain in babies during teething. The advantages of children's gum gels are that they quickly relieve pain.
There are many more disadvantages to using them. The main two:
- If the gel contains the anesthetics benzocaine and lidocaine, they can be dangerous to the child’s health. Such drugs provide pain relief for a short time - the medicine is washed off with saliva and swallowed. It is difficult to accurately calculate the dosage when squeezing the gel out of the tube. If you also exceed the number of applications of the medicine recommended by the instructions, you may exceed the permissible limit. An overdose of lidocaine threatens with such dire consequences as convulsions, breathing problems, heart rhythm disorders - even death.
- Herbal gels provide mild pain relief, but help relieve inflammation. Their action does not give quick results. An allergic reaction to herbal components is possible, so after the first use you need to monitor the child’s reaction.
If you still decide to use a teething gel for your baby, choose either a herbal gel or a combination drug with an anesthetic and herbs. It will help relieve acute pain and reduce inflammation. But use combination gels very carefully, only as a last resort when other methods do not work and the child is in severe pain.
It is important!
Teething is a difficult period for the baby and his parents, but it is a natural stage of growing up, which allows the transition to solid food after breast milk.
Associated symptoms
Often gum swelling is accompanied by other symptoms:
- swelling of the cheek;
- fistula formation;
- tooth pain;
- bleeding gums;
- sensation of a metallic bite;
- redness of the gums;
- discharge of pus from the carious cavity;
- loosening of the crown;
- the appearance of ulcers;
- increase in general body temperature;
- the appearance of white plaque on the gums.
If there are signs of a purulent process, then contacting a dentist should be done immediately. Complications can lead to serious consequences not only for the oral cavity, but also for the entire body.
Swollen gums in an adult: other clinical cases
- Injury to the gums. Thermal and chemical burns lead to tissue damage around the element of the dental system. Symptoms can be expressed in increased bleeding, redness, and plaque.
- Poor quality canal sanitation. Poor canal filling can lead to periodontal abscess and result in swelling of the gums and cheeks.
- Extraction of a dental unit. After tooth extraction, in some cases the gums become swollen. This is especially observed after extraction of the figure eight. Swelling for 2-3 days is considered normal. However, if pain persists for more than three days, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The gums may swell not only after tooth extraction, but also due to an allergic reaction to pharmaceuticals and orthopedic structures. When any pathological process is detected, an immediate search for the problem and its elimination is required. If you do not receive qualified help, this can lead to loose teeth, abscess, otitis media and even the development of a tumor.
Possible dental diseases
In 90% of cases, swelling of the soft tissues around the tooth appears with the development of periodontitis, gingivitis, periodontitis or an abscess. Other possible causes are extremely rare.
Periodontitis
With the development of periodontitis, the inflammatory process affects the bone tissue of the jaw. The cause of the pathology is the penetration of infection of the dental root canals and its spread. Swelling of soft tissues during periodontitis is caused by the accumulation of pus. If left untreated, pus may be released through the resulting fistula. The swelling subsides during this period, but the inflammation cannot be eliminated on its own. Treatment is mandatory.
Gingivitis
A distinctive feature of gingivitis from periodontitis is the development of an infectious and inflammatory process in the soft tissues surrounding the tooth. Swelling of the gums with gingivitis mainly occurs during the period of exacerbation. The swelling of the gums can be so severe that the tissue covers the tooth.
Periodontitis
The development of periodontitis occurs against the background of advanced periodontitis. Lack of treatment provokes a purulent process with a localized abscess area. With a periodontal abscess, a cavity forms under the gum in which pus accumulates. Externally, in addition to edema, a pronounced swelling in the form of a semicircle up to 1–2 cm in size appears on the soft tissue. Treatment is carried out surgically.
Pain after complex surgery
One of the most common reasons that the gums hurt where the tooth has long been extracted is incorrect or incomplete extraction. Dental defects leading to this:
- crooked roots: it may not be completely removed, part of it remains and eventually begins to rot;
- fragile tooth: if a tooth falls into pieces when touched with a surgical instrument, one of them may remain in the gum and lead to inflammation;
- the tooth has no outer part left: this situation requires complex surgical intervention; simple extraction is not enough;
- The tooth is embedded deep in the gum tissue.
In all these cases, you can get rid of the pain only by extracting the remains of the tooth from the gums. To do this, usually an incision is made in the tissue, and the gums at the site of inflammation are peeled off from the jaw bone. After this, the remaining teeth are cut out using a drill or divided into parts and removed.
Treatment methods
Depending on the cause of gum swelling and accompanying pathological processes, the doctor may prescribe conservative treatment, or resort to surgical manipulation or tooth extraction. The clinical picture is determined by the results of examination and radiography.
Conservative therapy
When visiting a dental clinic, a specialist eliminates the cause of gum swelling and then begins to eliminate inflammation, symptoms and associated pathological processes.
The patient may be prescribed drug therapy, including:
- antiviral;
- painkillers;
- antibiotics;
- antihistamines.
Local therapy that has an antiseptic effect is required. The dentist may recommend the use of special ointments or gels, rinsing the mouth with medications or herbal decoctions.
Surgery
The help of surgical dentistry is necessary for certain indications. The need for surgical intervention arises with the development of a purulent process. The specialist will need to open the gum, fistula or root canal to release the pathological fluid. Next, the affected cavity is cleaned, treated with an antiseptic, and treatment of the underlying disease begins. Swelling of the gums can be a sign of a serious pathology that requires tooth extraction. The need for extraction or the possibility of saving the tooth is assessed by the doctor.
First aid for inflammation
It is better to use any medications to combat pathological symptoms after consulting a doctor, since all medications in this group have different compositions and a list of contraindications. At home, you can use various rinses as first aid before going to the dental clinic. They are not recommended for use for more than two days, since the absence of qualified assistance for a long period of time can worsen the patient’s condition and lead to the progression of the pathology.
Calendula decoction with salt
Calendula flowers have a disinfectant, antimicrobial and healing effect
Calendula is one of the most famous medicinal plants. Calendula flowers (marigolds) have a disinfectant, antimicrobial and healing effect, so a decoction of this plant helps to quickly cope with inflammation and speed up the healing of soft tissues. If you add salt to the decoction, you can improve the condition of the gums during purulent inflammation, since any salt perfectly draws out pus and ensures the outflow of exudate.
To prepare a medicine to treat inflammation, you must:
- Pour 100 g of calendula flowers into 700 ml of boiling water and put on low heat;
- cook for 15-20 minutes;
- add a tablespoon of salt and cook for another 5 minutes;
- leave for an hour and strain.
You should rinse your mouth with this decoction 3 to 10 times a day (depending on the degree of inflammation). Symptoms usually become less noticeable on the second day of use.
Bread crumb infusion
Bread crumb infusion is a simple and effective remedy for treating gum inflammation.
If you don’t have medicinal plants at hand, you can use a very simple but effective recipe and prepare an infusion from bread pulp. You can use any type of bread made from rye or peeled flour, as they contain a large amount of minerals and vitamins that have a positive effect on the condition and health of the gums.
Preparing the infusion is very simple:
- break one piece of bread (approximately 50-70 g) into small pieces and place in a shallow container;
- pour 300 ml of boiling water and add half a spoon of salt;
- leave for 5-7 minutes and cool.
You should rinse your mouth with this infusion 3-5 times a day. The product perfectly helps with any inflammatory processes, pain after treatment and tooth extraction, as well as at the initial stage of purulent-infectious processes.
Video - How to treat gum disease
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What does a doctor do
If more than 3 days have passed after filling the canals, and the pain in the gums only increases, and other unpleasant symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a specialist. The doctor conducts a clinical examination, X-ray examination and, if necessary, decides on the issue of re-treatment of the tooth canals with his own hands.
The video in this article shows how to properly fill canals and restore a damaged tooth crown.
When performing secondary endodontics, all the same steps are performed as during previous visits. Treatment is supported by pharmacotherapy. The instructions must be followed exactly by the patient.
When re-treating canals against the background of mistakes made in a previous intervention, it is important to accurately obstruct the lumen.
How babies teeth cut: timing and development factors
The foundation of baby and permanent teeth is laid during pregnancy: their health is directly affected by the lifestyle and health of the mother.
After the birth of a child, minerals accumulate in his body, which will become building materials for teeth. The first of them appears when the baby is six months old - this happens in most situations.
But there are many cases where a child was born with a pair of ready-made teeth, or vice versa, when teeth appeared after the first year of life. This is normal: the process is influenced by many factors - from food to place of residence, when exactly teeth are cut.
In total, nature plans 20 milk teeth. They appear in pairs, so teething in infants is usually divided into 10 stages:
- First (medial) lower incisors - 6-10 months.
- First (medial) upper incisors - 8-12 months.
- Second (lateral) upper incisors - 9-13 months.
- Second (lateral) lower incisors - 10-16 months.
- First upper molars - 13-19 months.
- First lower molars - 14-18 months.
- Upper canines - 16-22 months.
- Lower canines - 17-23 months.
- Second lower molars - 23-31 months.
- Second upper molars - 23-31 months.
From 3 to 6 years old, a temporary bite forms in the child’s mouth: it changes when the baby teeth begin to fall out. A temporary bite has a huge impact on a permanent one, and a person’s smile, which will be with him all his life, depends on its correctness.
Along with 20 milk teeth, the roots of 16 permanent teeth appear. The rest grow up at a later age.
We emphasize once again that deviations from the schedule are normal, even within a few months. To be sure, consult your pediatric dentist.
Pain due to hematoma
If the gums hurt for a long time after removal, the body temperature rises, the gums swell and suppuration begins in the place where the dead tooth was, then this indicates a hematoma. A characteristic sign is the bluish color of the gums in the place where the tooth was.
Why a hematoma occurs: an incorrectly performed operation, during which the doctor damaged a blood vessel, general ailments of the body. For example, a hematoma often appears in people with diabetes or hypertension. A weakened immune system increases the risk of hematoma.
The only way to get rid of toothache due to a hematoma is surgery. During this process, an incision is made in the gum flesh and the accumulated pus is released. After this, the wound is washed and a course of drug treatment is prescribed, which includes rinsing with dental antiseptics and taking antibiotics.
What to do if the gums near the crown become inflamed
Inflammation of the gums near the tooth under the crown is treated based on the original cause that caused it. So, if swelling of the soft tissues appears as a result of trauma to the gums with a brush or due to the chemical components included in the rinses, it is enough to replace oral hygiene products with more suitable ones, and treat the gums themselves with antiseptics.
If swelling of the gums is caused by the development of dental pathology - gingivitis, periodontitis, etc., complex treatment is necessary - professional cleaning, curettage of periodontal pockets, application of anti-inflammatory and wound-healing ointments, injection of vitamins and sometimes antibiotics into the gums.
When flux forms, it is opened and the wound is drained.
If the flux has opened on its own and a fistulous tract has formed, endodontic treatment is carried out (if a crown covers a living tooth or not all root canals are filled) or resection of the apex of the root on which inflammation has formed. If it is presented late, it is not always possible to save the tooth under the crown and then it is removed. To the list of posts
How to get rid of pain at home
If you suddenly begin to experience pain in a place where a tooth is no longer present, it is not recommended to apply warm compresses, wrap the area of inflammation with a warm cloth, or take warm decoctions. Due to heating, suppuration most often occurs, which causes unpleasant consequences.
Cooling the inflamed area helps relieve pain. In this case, you can use ice compresses or just a cool cloth.
A cold compress will help relieve pain and swelling
Folk recipes help relieve inflammation of the flesh at the site of an extracted or dead tooth: a decoction of chamomile, oak bark. You should not intensively rinse the sore spot, as there is a chance to wash out the newly formed blood clot. It's better to just keep the decoction in your mouth for a while.
No folk remedies will help with advanced inflammatory process. Self-medication makes sense only in the initial stages of the disease.
Pain at the site of a dead tooth
It happens that the nerve has been removed from the teeth, but they still hurt. If the nerve is not completely removed or the doctor put too much filling material into the canal, then the pain will not leave you for a very long time and will occur when eating hard, cold or hot foods.
Pain in a dead tooth can appear due to the fact that tissue inflammation has gone too far, and not only the nerve and pulp are affected, but also the bone tissue that surrounded the tooth, as well as due to the use of too aggressive drugs in treating the nerve.
Often, to regenerate tissue at the site of the inflamed nerve, a course of special anti-inflammatory drugs is prescribed. To avoid problems with inflammation when extracting the nerve, it is recommended to first install a temporary filling.
