Puffy gums

[Sophia]

Hello

My gums have become swollen since the weekend. Initially I thought that the swelling would be temporary and go down soon but its been there now for five days and my puffy gums bleed badly when I brush them now and I am worried that my gums have become infected.

I have tried using mouthwash but it has not made much of a difference to the gums. Is there any medication or specific treatment for puffy gums? Would I need to see a gum specialist? Can puffy gums be cured quickly and is there a possibility that my gums have become infected. Please help.

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

The commonest causes of swollen/bleeding gum can be gingivitis or periodontal disease. Which one is the cause in your case has to be assessed clinically. Periodontal disease is more of a serious case and needs a lot more treatment and can be associated with infection in the gum.

What you need to do first is to see a dentist and have your case assessed and see whether you are suffering from gingivitis which is treated with a simple scaling and polishing, or is it periodontal disease. If the latter, then depending on how active, chronic and advanced is your disease, a clinical decision is made to see whether you can be treated by the dentist for extensive debridement of the teeth from plaque and calculus or you need to be referred to periodontist. We would be very happy to see you at Pearl Dental Clinic and assisst you be means of an examination.

[Dr Ehsan J. Esfahani]

Hello Sophia,

Thanks for your post. Puffy gums is also known as gingivitis which is bacterial inflammation of the gums. Gingivitis is very common and sometimes becomes prolonged due to certain systemic factors such as immunosuppression (e.g. flu) and stress.

The treatment for prolonged gingivitis or puffy gums involves seeing your dentist for assessment and a course of antibiotics (metronidazole usually) and corsydol mouthwash will be prescribed. If your gums are painful then active treatment is delayed until after 5 days. Treatment involves simple cleaning or periodontal treatment under local aneasthetic if deep cleaning is necessary. Following this oral hygiene instructions are given which include effective brushing and flossing.

It is not necessary to see a gum specialist for treatment of puffy gums initially however if after assessment and treatment with your dentist, a need for specialist assessment and treatment is deemed necessary you will then be referred to the periodontist.

Puffy gums can take upto 1 month or sometimes even longer to stabilise and this varies due to the nature of the disease process and the patients response to the medication and treatment.

Please contact us at Pearl Dental Clinic and we would be more than happy to help.