Pus in the gums: what to do at home, surgical and drug treatment

From this article you will learn:

• why does an abscess appear on the gum,
• what to do when the gums fester.

The article was written by a dental surgeon with more than 19 years of experience.

A prerequisite for the appearance of gum suppuration is the presence of a source of infection. Most often, this source is an infection in the root canals of the tooth, which develops there either due to poorly performed root canal filling, or due to the patient’s untimely treatment of dental caries or pulpitis. And in this case, the dentist will diagnose you: “Exacerbation of chronic periodontitis.”

The second main cause of gum suppuration is the formation of deep periodontal pockets during periodontitis. Such pockets contain a large amount of infection and can cause the formation of a purulent abscess in the gum. The choice of treatment method will depend on the cause of gum suppuration in your case. Therefore, you first need to determine why pus appeared in the gums, and only then begin treatment.

Content:

1. Why does pus come out of the gums?
2. Signs indicating a problem
3. Causes of pus discharge from the gums
4. How do dentists treat pus in gums?
5. Additional procedures to help get rid of purulent gum disease
6. Recovery after treatment
7. Is it possible to cure an abscess at home?

The presence of purulent exudate in the gum tissue is a dangerous symptom that should never be ignored. If it appears, you should immediately consult your dentist. Otherwise, the inflammatory process will progress, which will lead to damage to neighboring structures and premature tooth loss.

Suppuration in a child

If a child has an inflamed gum near a tooth and there are all signs of the onset of purulent processes, there is no need to hesitate - see a doctor immediately. Keep in mind that children have weaker immunity than adults, so any disease progresses rapidly. To avoid serious complications, you need to act quickly.

If a problem occurs in a child, you should immediately consult a doctor

Important! If we are talking about baby teeth, pus can damage the buds of permanent incisors and molars. This will inevitably affect their health in the future, and also risks leading to improper formation of the entire dental system.

Under no circumstances try to pierce an abscess yourself, even if you have antiseptic agents with you for treatment. To relieve acute symptoms before visiting a pediatric dentist, you can have your child rinse their mouth with a weak soda-salt solution. Of course, we are not talking about very young children who may accidentally swallow liquid.

Why does pus come out of the gums?

Suppuration is the result of infection penetrating into the deep tissues of the oral cavity. This is a kind of protective reaction of the body aimed at cleansing the affected area from a dangerous viral, bacterial or infectious agent.

As soon as pathogenic microflora begins to spread inside the gums, blood circulation there increases. Due to this, immune cells are faster delivered to the dangerous focus. As a result, the tissues become red, swollen, and painful to the touch.

Pus in the gums is dead microbes and dead immune cells. As its volume increases, an abscess forms.

Signs indicating a problem

A purulent neoplasm is difficult to miss. A person complains about:

• discomfort in the affected area, which intensifies with palpation, pressure, chewing food, and talking;
• unpleasant taste in the mouth (caused by periodic discharge of blood and necrotic masses from the abscess);
• tissue swelling;
• swelling of the cheek (indicates that the inflammation has gone very far and emergency dental care is required).

If the patient continues to ignore the symptoms, his health will worsen. His body temperature will rise, headaches and weakness will appear.

A violent inflammatory process will disrupt the dentogingival apparatus. Then the unit will become mobile and can fall out at any moment.

Symptoms of gum abscess

Gingival abscess manifests itself in two types of symptoms: local and general clinical. Local symptoms are caused by reactive manifestations in the area of ​​inflammation. The appearance of general symptoms is associated with intoxication of the body. The main symptomatic manifestations of the disease:

The leading symptom of an abscess is pain. It can be fixed only at the point of inflammation, but more often the discomfort radiates to the head, auricle, eye socket, neck, and neighboring segments. Soreness has different intensity, character (sharp, shooting, dull), occurs periodically in response to stress factors, or is constantly present.

Causes of pus discharge from the gums

The reasons for this phenomenon may be different. Let's name the most common ones:

• Periodontitis. The tip of the tooth root becomes inflamed. This is possible with advanced caries, poorly performed filling, or progressive pulpitis.
• Periodontitis. The dentogingival junction is damaged due to insufficient tissue nutrition, genetic predisposition, and reduced immunity. Food debris begins to accumulate in the resulting pockets, which leads to inflammation and suppuration.
• Gingivitis. Inflammatory gum disease. Bacteria begin to actively multiply due to poor hygiene and traumatic injuries. They penetrate the gums and cause suppuration.
• Periostitis. Chronic or acute inflammation of the periosteum of the jaw. It is the result of the spread of a dangerous infection through the bloodstream or through the lymph. It can also be a consequence of deep caries.

• Osteomyelitis. A purulent infectious-inflammatory process that covers various structures of the jaw and leads to necrosis of many tissues. Osteomyelitis can develop due to mechanical damage, spread of infection through the blood and lymph.
• Pericoronitis. Most often it has to do with a wisdom tooth that has not fully erupted. A voluminous hood of inflamed gums is formed over the unit, under which food accumulates. It serves as an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. Therefore, in the absence of adequate treatment, very soon a person notices that he is secreting pus.

As practice shows, most often pus in the gums appears due to cuts, injuries, or wearing incorrectly selected dental prostheses. Chronic gum damage triggers an inflammatory process that is difficult to stop. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to your oral health. If an inflammatory focus appears, it must be sanitized immediately. This will avoid many complications.

What complications can there be?

It is important not to delay the visit to a specialist, since purulent processes in an advanced stage lead to serious and dangerous consequences. Here are just some of the possible complications:

• root damage and subsequent need for complete tooth extraction,
• purulent damage to bone structures and the development of osteomyelitis,
• formation of granulomas and cysts,
• spread of infection to other organs,
• blood poisoning - sepsis

Purulent processes in an advanced stage lead to serious and dangerous consequences

“Treat your teeth on time!! Don't delay! I once lost a tooth due to an abscess, and I was only 30 years old. Like many, I put off going to the doctor until the last minute. I rinsed with baking soda and salt for several days. As soon as the pain subsided, I decided that everything was over. Yeah, no matter how it is! As a result, after a while it got so bad that I had to rush to the emergency dentistry. It turned out that it’s not just the nerve that needs to be removed, but the entire tooth! Horror! I still really regret that I realized it so late...”

Alexandra V., from correspondence on the woman.ru forum

It is also equally important, after treatment, to strictly follow all the dentist’s instructions and conscientiously follow all his instructions, including taking prescribed medications. Otherwise, after some time you may experience a relapse.

How do dentists treat pus in gums?

Typically therapy includes the following steps:

1. Survey. The doctor finds out when the purulent neoplasm appeared, how quickly it grows in size, and how it manifests itself.
2. Examination of the oral cavity. The doctor studies the location of the abscess, its color, shape. If necessary, gives a referral for an x-ray of the affected side of the jaw. X-rays are needed to understand the condition of the internal structures.
3. Removing food debris, stone and soft plaque from teeth and gums. Sanitation of the oral cavity before treatment of an abscess.
4. Opening of a purulent neoplasm. Performed under local anesthesia. First, the patient is given an injection of anesthetic, and then the affected area is carefully dissected. As a result, purulent masses come out.
5. Installation of drainage. To prevent exudate from beginning to accumulate in the gums again, a small drainage tube is installed into the incision. You need to walk with her for several days.

A mandatory stage of treatment is anti-inflammatory therapy. The patient is prescribed antibiotics and mouth rinses to prevent the recurrence of a purulent lesion.

It happens that pus is released when pressing on the tooth. In this case, there is no “bump” on the surface of the gum. In this case, the above scheme will be ineffective. The doctor removes the filling (if it was installed), cleans the dental canals and washes out all purulent accumulations. Places a special medicine and closes it with a temporary filling.

On the appointed day, the patient must come for a follow-up appointment. Then the doctor will assess whether the inflammation was removed. If yes, then he will replace the temporary filling with a permanent one; if not, he will re-place the anti-inflammatory composition in the canals and re-install the temporary filling material.

Clinical trials

According to the results of clinical trials of the ASEPTA rinse after 3 weeks of use of the rinse, gum bleeding is reduced by 28.3%, inflammation is reduced by 32.3% and the hygienic condition of the oral cavity is improved by 33.5%.

Sources:

1. Clinical experience in using the Asepta series of products Elena Ivanovna Fuchs, assistant at the department of therapeutic and pediatric dentistry. State budgetary educational institution of higher professional education Ryazan State Medical University named after Academician I.P. Pavlova of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation (GBOU VPO RyazSMU Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia)
2. The use of adhesive balm "Asepta®" in the treatment of inflammatory periodontal diseases L.Yu. OREKHOVA, Dr. med. Sciences, Professor, Head of Department V.V. Thermal Power Plant, Dr. med. Sciences, Professor, Head of Department S.B. ULITOVSKY, Dr. med. Sciences, Professor A.A. LEONTIEV, dentist A.A. DOMORAD, O.M. YAKOVLEV SPbSMU named after. acad. I.P. Pavlova, St. Petersburg - *Department of Therapeutic Dentistry, Department of Microbiology
3. The use of new anti-inflammatory drugs in the complex of therapeutic and preventive measures for periodontal diseases (E.D. Kuchumova, A.A. Leontyev, O.V. Kalinina, L.Yu. Orekhova, S.B. Ulitovsky) E.D. Kuchumova, Ph.D., Associate Professor, A.A. Leontyev, dentist, O.V. Kalinina, dentist, L.Yu. Orekhova, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Head of Department, S.B. Ulitovsky, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof. Department of Therapeutic Dentistry of St. Petersburg State Medical University named after. acad. I.P. Pavlova
4. Evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment of chronic generalized periodontitis of mild and moderate severity using Asepta antibacterial agents (S.I. Gazhva, A.I. Voronina) S.I. Gazhva, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Prof., Head of Department A.I. Voronina, PhD, dentist. Department of Dentistry FKPV GOU VPO "Nizhny Novgorod State Medical Academy"

Recovery after treatment

After opening and draining the cavity, the body has to mobilize all its resources to speed up the healing process. To help him, it is important:

• comply with all medical prescriptions;
• take medications prescribed by the dentist;
• Healthy food;
• avoid stressful situations;
• dress according to the weather;
• quit smoking and alcohol;
• take a good vitamin and mineral complex;
• carefully monitor oral hygiene, include dental rinse, floss, and irrigator in your daily care.

Ball in mouth - what is it?

When the inflammation begins to gradually progress, a blister appears on the gum. The main reason for the formation of a lump is poor oral hygiene and prevention. But the ball can also form under the influence of other factors: inflammation occurring in the roots of the teeth, gums, mucous membranes, and periosteum.

The problem is that the disease can be diagnosed in the later stages, with the development of a purulent process. This happens because the patient does not visit the dentist. For patients who experience fear while in a chair, the doctor can give sedative anesthesia, in which the receptors are turned off and the patient falls into a shallow sleep.

Attention! It is better to diagnose the disease early in order to prevent more dangerous consequences, including blood infection and inflammation of the entire jaw.

Is it possible to cure an abscess at home?

Doctors do not allow you to open a flux tumor on your own. This may lead to the addition of a secondary infection. If you are unable to visit a dental clinic in the coming days, you can alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms with the help of:

• Therapeutic and prophylactic rinses. When performing them, you need to use water at room temperature, salt and soda, and pharmaceutical antiseptics.
• Apply cold compresses to the sore cheek.

Under no circumstances should you heat the inflamed area. This will lead to activation of purulent-necrotic processes and the spread of infection, which is very dangerous.

If the ball in your mouth does not cause discomfort

The color of the bubble will help the doctor make a diagnosis. A white lump on the gum indicates the presence of exostosis or purulent exudate. A red or bloody ball indicates the development of inflammation. If the growth matches the shade of the tissue, it is the initial stage of epulis, flux, or a malignant tumor. When the tumor does not hurt, this indicates the presence of one of the pathologies:

A fistula is a white ball on soft tissues that appears under or on a tooth. There is a hole on the surface for the release of pus. If, when pressed, suppuration flows out of the bladder, the patient does not feel pain. If the hole is closed with pus or bloody clots, the patient will experience discomfort with any impact.

A fistula is often formed due to advanced periodontitis, accompanied by periodontal hyperplasia. Overgrown tissue is good soil for the proliferation of microorganisms. In this case, the patient urgently needs treatment for periodontitis.

In the absence of therapy, the fistula enters a chronic stage, which can only be eliminated through surgical treatment. The progression of the disease must not be allowed, otherwise you may lose healthy molars.

Hematoma is a round lump on the inner surface of the cheek. Sometimes it occurs in the form of a dark bluish swelling on top of the gums. Blood accumulates in or around the root of the molar. The mucous membrane grows, the patient experiences discomfort and cannot completely close the jaw. The main reasons: consequences of filling or tooth extraction, gum damage, poor blood clotting.

Hematomas are generally not dangerous. Processes take place in the body through which soft tissues are cleared of bloody clots. After some time, the bubble disappears, but if the seal remains, you need to visit a dental clinic.

Exostosis is a hard blister that is an abnormality in which the bones protrude and protrude from the jaw. Gradually, the lump increases in volume, which causes discomfort and pain. Exostosis can be provoked by various reasons:

• jaw damage;
• heredity;
• congenital disorders;
• tissue diseases after molar removal.

An examination by a dentist or an x-ray will help detect the disease. The formation will need to be removed if the development of a malignant tumor is suspected.

Epulis is a pedunculated bubble in the form of a mushroom-shaped growth on the periodontium. The tumor may be the same color as the gums or red. The reasons causing the development of pathology include:

• improper filling of the molar or too large a filling;
• dental plaque, stone;
• jaw damage;
• malocclusion;
• hormonal imbalance;
• poor prosthetic material or incorrect prosthetics.

The symptoms of epulis resemble gingivitis; for diagnosis, the dentist prescribes radiography and histology to the patient. With their help, the degree of destruction of bone tissue at the site of the epulis lesion is determined. Mostly, pathology occurs in children during the growth of primary molars and in women.

Papilloma or fibroma is a bubble on the gum, sometimes a benign formation that does not pose a threat to the health or life of the patient. They are formed in people of different genders and ages. Predisposing factors to the appearance of a lump can be: damage to the mucosa, stress, systemic pathologies, heredity.

Papilloma is an enlargement of the papillary layer of skin. The bubble grows gradually, but with reduced immunity, systemic pathology, or stress, growth accelerates, but without turning into a malignant tumor. A papilloma neoplasm looks like a smooth, soft lump on the mucous membrane of a white or pink shade on a thin stalk.

Papilloma often does not create any discomfort. But after some time it may increase in size. You should consult a dentist and get tested.