Gum infection

[Dana]

Hi

My gums have become very sore and swollen over the last few days. I have tried to gargle with salt water as many times as I can but it hasn't helped much. When I brush my teeth my gums bleed a lot and the bleeding seems to have become worst since I quit smoking last month.

I am worried that I have some sort of gum infection but other than salt water mouthwash, I don't know what else I can do to stop the gum infection from getting worst. If gum infection is left as it is can it do any long term damage to my gums?

Is there any treatment for swollen and sore gums other than salt water mouthwash?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

Thank you for your post.

First thing to say is that you should not ignore bleeding gums and gum infection. They rarely get better by themselves and could be signs of other more serious problems.

Smoking generally reduces bleeding from the gums because agents in cigarette smoke constrict and block the blood vessels in the gums that supply nutrients to the gums. Once smoking is stopped, this blood flow is gradually improved and hence ex-smokers notice bleeding gums after they quit smoking.

Swollen gums can be caused by poor plaque control and oral hygiene. I don't know this factually in your case, because I have not seen your teeth but poor oral hygiene could cause swollen and bleeding gums.

Gum infection could be caused by gum disease and is very serious and merits further investigations such as pocket charts, plaque scores, tooth mobility scores and X-rays. If gum infection is left untreated it can lead to more and more bone loss which can eventually lead to tooth mobility and even tooth loss.

Bleeding and Swollen gums could also be caused by certain medication and medical problems. Your medical history will have to be reviewed to check to see if any medication is contributing to these gum problems.

Gum infection is usually treated with deep gum cleaning and treating the source of infection such as endodontic tooth treatment if necessary or reducing pocket depths with non surgical and surgical periodontal treatment.

Your oral hygiene practices will need to be assessed and modified if found to be inadequate. Please book to see you dentist ASAP and don't ignore gum infection.