A healthy gum is one that has a light pink color, does not bleed, is soft to the touch and flat with orange peel dots. If a lump appears on the gum it can be due to multiple reasons. do you know them?
The appearance of the gum, the medical history and the time of evolution can guide us about the cause. What is important to note is that the presence of a lump in the gum for a time equal to or greater than two weeks should be a criterion, even in the absence of symptoms, to request the opinion of a dentist in Moti Nagar.
Common causes
Periodontal disease or pyorrhea
It is the most frequent cause, it is estimated that 80% of the population can present it on time or continuously.
Pyorrhea, as it is popularly called, has two phases:
- Gingivitis, in which the gums are swollen and inflamed, red or bluish, is painful and bleeds easily. It can be a localized or generalized process of the whole mouth. It is reversible if the cause is corrected.
- Periodontitis is the later phase: the continuous inflammatory process of the gum causes it to detach from the teeth to which they are attached, appearing spaces or pockets that facilitate the accumulation of food debris and bacteria, further increasing the inflammatory process that ends up destroying the bone where the teeth are seated. The destruction of the bone and the loss of adhesion of the gum to the tooth causes them to move and that they can, in very advanced stages, fall or become detached.
The cause of periodontal disease is poor oral hygiene, which produces an increase in bacterial plaque/tartar.
Factors that can aggravate periodontitis:
- genetic predisposition.
- Use of antidepressants, diuretics and medications that decrease saliva production.
- Poorly controlled diabetes with high blood sugar levels.
- Pregnancy, menstruation, puberty, menopause… Hormonal changes favor bacterial growth.
- Crowding or dental malposition that makes dental hygiene difficult.
- Autoimmune diseases with rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus…
The treatment
On a personal level, it will be a good brushing technique, use of dental floss, mouthwashes, interdental brushes…
Professionals will be able to perform dental hygiene, curettage and more complex treatments that in extreme cases may involve surgery on the gums or correction of favoring factors such as crowding.
Tooth abscess/phlegmon
Abscesses are the accumulation of pus, the periapical ones (located around the apex of the tooth) are generally a consequence of dental caries or fractures and affect the root of the tooth where the abscess is located. Periodontal abscesses affect the gum tissue and can cause swelling and redness around a tooth.
They usually cause a throbbing and intense pain in the tooth or gum, which can refer to the ear, jaw. It is usually worse at night in a horizontal position. The appearance of a yellowish white dot can mean the existence of a fistula that is the communication of the abscess with the gum and it is through this point that the pus can come out. When this happens, it means a decrease in pain by reducing the pressure of the inflamed area. Bad taste in the mouth and bad breath are usually present in these cases.
Treatment
Initial: it should be done with analgesics and the definitive treatment will depend on the origin of the abscess after evaluation by a dentist, and may include the use of antibiotics, treatment of the gums or treatment of caries, which in this case will include an endodontic treatment (to kill the nerve).
A dental abscess can also appear without excessive pain, and in these cases the reason for the absence of pain is because the nerve had previously been endodontically treated or killed and this treatment has failed with the appearance of the infection again.
We must go immediately to the emergency room in case of difficulty swallowing or opening the mouth or in case of fever.
Canker sores or ulcers
The gum is one of the points where they can appear causing inflammation, redness and a whitish central area.
The reason for the appearance of canker sores ranges from viral infections, side effects to antibiotic treatments, chemotherapy, poorly adapted dental prostheses, burns from food or other chemical substances, allergies, autoimmune diseases…
The pain is usually very intense, even modifying the way of speaking, and usually refers to or spreads to a place other than the ulceration.
Treatment
It is aimed at treating the pain and the cause if it can be treated. Measures such as avoiding an acidic pH of the mouth by brushing the teeth after eating food and drinking plenty of fluids. Application of viscous 2% lidocaine solutions or hyaluronic acid gel or spray on the canker sore relieves pain instantly, but also temporarily. The healing process of the gum can take between one and two weeks.
Conclusion
These are the most frequent causes of the appearance of lumps in the gum, they are not the only ones. The persistence of a lump should not be trivialized, and the dentist in Punjabi Bagh should be consulted.
What you should know…
- The presence of a lump in the gum for a time equal to or greater than two weeks should be a criterion, even in the absence of symptoms, to request the opinion of a dentist in Paschim Vihar or family doctor.
- Periodontal disease or pyorrhea is the most frequent cause, and it is estimated that 80% of the population may present it either occasionally or continuously.
- A dental abscess or phlegmon, and canker sores or mouth ulcers are also possible causes of lump on the gum.