One of the health problems that people frequently encounter throughout life is tooth and gum problems. While various disorders, especially in the gums, affect the quality of daily life seriously; at the same time, it can cause various complaints such as bleeding and pain, which can make people really uneasy. In this respect, it is very important to have sufficient and correct information about gingival swelling.
What is Gum Swelling?
Gums or gingiva; They are the tissues that surround the teeth and fill the space between the teeth and the jawbones, in healthy people, in a light coral pink color, with a lot of blood. While the gums act as a support for both teeth and bone tissues; It also helps to grind foods by covering the jawbones securely. In addition, the gingiva acts as a barrier, holding tightly to the connective tissues around the teeth, preventing the accumulation of food residues and the penetration of microorganisms into deep areas.
The structure of the gums varies depending on the conditions in the body. Various physiological conditions or some diseases may cause gingival enlargement and edema, leading to the complaint of gingival swelling. For example, poor oral hygiene and lack of tooth brushing habits are among the leading causes of gum swelling in adults and children. Again, some additional symptoms may accompany the picture along with swelling in the gingiva. For example, gingival swelling and bleeding are often observed together.
How Does Gum Swelling Happen?
Maintaining gingival health is closely related to various factors. Conditions that lead to deterioration in the structure of the gingival tissue cause the development of an inflammatory reaction in the region and, accordingly, the passage of fluid from the blood vessels to the surrounding tissues, that is, edema. With the addition of tartar and bacterial plaques, the gums become more red, prone to bleeding, tender and swollen. The volume of the gums begins to grow, the tissue structure begins to develop and vascularization. As a result of this situation, the gums may swell.
Swelling gums become prone to bleeding. and tissue structure deteriorates, it becomes open to external factors. For this reason, in patients with gingival swelling, gingival bleeding, diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis, which develop as a result of inflammation of the gingiva, dental caries and intraoral infections are more common. In addition, bad breath accompanies this picture.
What Causes Gum Swelling?
Gingival swelling may develop as a result of some physiological events; It can also occur as a symptom of various diseases. The following conditions are frequently observed in the clinic as causes of gingival swelling:
- Gingivitis: It is the swelling of the gingiva as a result of an inflammatory reaction and showing additional symptoms such as pain, tenderness, and redness. It is caused by plaques, tartar and oral microorganisms that develop on teeth and gums, often due to poor oral hygiene habits. If gingivitis is not treated, the inflammation may progress and cause more serious problems such as inflammation of the tooth and connective tissue around the tooth (periodontitis) and tooth loss. It can become inflamed with the reproduction of microorganisms inside, causing swelling in the gums and other symptoms. For example, 20 gingival swelling;
- Pregnancy: Changes in hormonal balance with pregnancy cause widespread growth, vascularization and changes in tissue structure in the gums. As a result, swelling of the gums may occur. A similar situation can be seen in some endocrine diseases with various hormone treatments that change the hormone balance. As a result, infections and inflammations due to bacteria may develop and swelling of the gums may occur. Insufficient fluid intake, sleeping with an open mouth, salivary gland diseases can be given as examples among the factors causing dry mouth.
- Diabetes: In case of high blood sugar, deterioration in the structure of the gingiva may occur along with the blood vessels, resulting in gingival swelling.
- Infection : Both in gingival local infections; Inflammation of the gingiva and swelling of the gingiva may occur in infectious diseases such as HIV, which affects the body as well as in the whole body. >
- Some rheumatological diseases: In diseases of rheumatological origin such as Crohn's disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, swelling may occur along with inflammation of the gums.
- Medicines: Some epilepsy drugs, heart rhythm drugs or some blood pressure drugs
- Chemicals: In people who have habits such as smoking and alcohol, gingival swelling may develop as a result of exposure to harmful substances.
- Dentures or prostheses: Used in the mouth Swelling may occur in the gingiva due to chronic traumas as a result of misuse, not cleaning or incompatible with the gingival structure of various apparatus.
What Symptoms Can Accompany Gum Swelling?
Some additional symptoms may occur with gingival swelling following the development of inflammatory events in the gingiva. In this context, the following symptoms may accompany the gingival swelling:
- Sensitive, red, edematous and painful gums
- Bleeding gums
- Pain when chewing
- Gingival recession, separation of teeth and gums
- Tooth loosening or gaining movement
- Tooth sensitivity
- Bad breath that cannot be removed by tooth brushing
- Not overlapping or not closing completely (malocclusion) as a result of bite with changes in the localization of the teeth ?
Treatment of gingival swelling primarily depends on determining the underlying cause correctly. In this respect, it is important for a dentist who is an expert in his field to question the history of the disease in detail, and to evaluate it after an X-ray film and detailed physical examination. The physician confirms the diagnosis by applying additional imaging methods, if necessary. Treatment is planned depending on the detected factor.
If the gingival swelling is caused by a gingival problem such as gingivitis, first of all, treatment for the improvement of oral and dental hygiene (such as cleaning the calculus) and recommendations are made. When deemed necessary, drug treatment for infection and inflammation can be applied. In addition, mouth-cleaning solutions and mouthwashes can be prescribed.
Specific treatment is planned for the agent in chronic diseases such as diabetes, Crohn's disease, lymphoma. It is recommended to stop habits such as alcohol and smoking. If the drugs used for existing diseases cause side effects on the gums; reorganization of drugs may be on the agenda. Insufficient vitamins detected in vitamin deficiencies are supplemented.
The approach is similar to the gingival swelling problem during pregnancy. Providing oral hygiene and paying attention to oral hygiene after complaints such as nausea and vomiting caused by pregnancy are very helpful in eliminating gingival problems. In this context, it is possible to remove the growing gingival tissues with techniques such as laser excision, electrosurgery, periodontal surgery and gingivectomy. How does the swelling and pain go?” and “What good is swelling of the gums?” questions come. Gingival swelling can be eliminated or prevented before it develops, with simple measures that can be done at home. Taking the following precautions is very useful in combating gingival problems:- Tooth brushing should be done at least 2 times a day, for at least 2 minutes, with a toothbrush of appropriate hardness, with the right technique.
- During tooth brushing, Gently brushing without irritating the gums is important for removing plaque and tartar. This Accordingly, soft-headed toothbrushes may be preferred; Dental floss can be used to clean the areas between the teeth and gums.
- Food residues in the mouth must be cleaned.
- It is useful to rinse the mouth with salt water or mouthwash solutions and gargle.
- Plenty of water should be consumed during the day. Again, if there is a habit of mouth breathing, measures can be taken to eliminate this problem.
- The habit of alcohol and smoking should be stopped.
- It is necessary to clean the calculus at least once or twice a year.
- Deep pockets around the teeth must be destroyed.
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