In the article, we will consider what to do if the gums of a child are inflamed. Quite often, parents are faced with such a problem. The pathological process can develop under the influence of many factors. If such an ailment occurs, it is recommended to carefully study its symptoms and methods of therapy.
General information
If the gums in a child are inflamed, this is understood as a pathological process, manifested by irritation of the oral mucosa. Inflammation can be accompanied by swelling, bleeding, the appearance of small scratches and wounds on the gums. At the same time, the patient feels pain when eating, brushing his teeth. It becomes difficult for him to chew food, as the process is accompanied by severe pain. The process can progress, affecting more and more tissues of the mucous membranes of the mouth.
Specialists note that inflammation candevelop under the influence of bacteria and viruses. But often the disease occurs due to mechanical damage to the gums, for example, in the process of brushing your teeth.
Reasons
Dentists identify a number of main reasons why a child's gums are inflamed:
- Poor oral hygiene. Because of this, germs accumulate on the teeth, leading to serious gum disease.
- Teething. During teething, the gums may become slightly red and swollen.
- Hormonal failures. Able to negatively affect the activity of the whole organism, including the gums.
- Burns, mucosal injury. Even minor scratches and sores on the gums can lead to inflammation.
- Exposure to bacteria, viruses. The human oral cavity is normally inhabited by a huge number of bacteria. They do not cause harm if the child has strong immunity. When it decreases, harmful microorganisms are activated and cause harm.
- Recently had a cold, infection. As a result, the child's immunity weakens, and gum inflammation in this case acts as a negative consequence of the pathology.
- Vitamin deficiency. Avitaminosis is often the cause of gingival inflammation.
Also why does the child's gum hurt? In children younger than a year, this occurs due to weakened immunity, during the eruption of milk teeth. In some cases, redness and swelling causes vitamin deficiencies.
When a breastfeeding woman eats few fruits and vegetables, her babymay lack trace elements and nutrients. This can also cause inflammation.
In older children
In older children, gum disease can develop due to the use of hard foods, due to frequent colds, infectious pathologies. Sometimes a child hurts his gums with toys, a toothbrush, cutlery.
Vitamin deficiency also affects the condition of the oral mucosa. The gums hurt, swell, become bright red. As the disease progresses, the inflammatory focus begins to increase. Why else can a child's gums be inflamed?
Comorbidities
Often gum disease accompanies a variety of pathologies of the oral cavity. For example, inflammatory can occur against the background of the following diseases:
- Tatar. Inflammation is often provoked by hard deposits that accumulate on the surface of the teeth. Such deposits, as a rule, consist of pathogenic pathogens that destroy not only dental, but also gum tissue. As a result, an inflammatory process is formed.
- Periodontitis. With this pathology, inflammation is extensive, affecting all tissues. Often, holes, gaps appear between the gums and teeth, as bone tissues are destroyed. Why can a child have white gums?
- Stomatitis. As a rule, inflammation in stomatitis is localized in a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe oral cavity. The disease is manifested by the occurrence of wounds, sores, a change in the color of the gums to white or grayishwhite (due to the accumulation of purulent plaque). There may be several wounds or only one.
- Gingivitis. Inflammation in gingivitis can be mild or extensive. Pathology is characterized by damage to the tissues of the mucous membranes. At the initial stages of its development, gingivitis affects only the upper layers of the gum tissue. There is no bone damage in this case.
In babies, gum disease often occurs during teething. This phenomenon is considered quite normal - a tooth, erupting, injures the gum tissue with a sharp edge. As a result, they swell and turn red. The child has an unbearable desire to scratch the gums. Such a process is not complete without inflammation. It disappears when the process of teething in a child is completed.
Symptomatics
Inflammation of the gums is usually accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Swelling of the gums, redness. Fabrics turn red, slightly increase in size.
- Sore gums. This symptom is most pronounced in the process of chewing food. Eating hard foods can further damage your gums.
- Bleeding. There may be a scratch on the gum, a wound that begins to bleed even with a slight touch.
- Flux. In some cases, a flux can form on the inflamed gum - a cavity filled with purulent contents.
- Itching. The gum tissues begin to itch strongly. Due to the fact that the child wants to scratch the gums, she begins to taketoys in mouth.
- Weakness, feeling worse. The child has lethargy, reduced performance. He lies a lot, refuses to play.
- Loss of appetite. The feeling of hunger is dulled due to soreness in the gums. The child refuses to eat, which causes even greater weakness, pallor appears.
- Sleep disturbance. Soreness in the gums can occur even at night, because of which the child does not sleep well.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis of the disease is carried out in a dental clinic. The doctor examines the child's oral cavity, prescribes certain studies:
- Laboratory study of a blood sample.
- X-ray examination.
- Microbiological research. For its implementation, samples are taken from the oral cavity.
These techniques allow you to quickly determine the diagnosis, identify the cause of the development of inflammation, prescribe therapy for a small patient using suitable drugs.
Remove inflammation at home
Doctors recommend using special gels and ointments to eliminate inflammation. Any adult can cope with this procedure. He must make sure that the child performs all the assigned manipulations correctly. The most effective gels and ointments are:
- Solkoseril.
- Asepta.
- Cholisal.
- Baby Doctor.
- Metrogil Denta.
Use such drugsnot difficult. They should be applied to a cotton pad and pressed for 10 minutes to the affected area. After that, the cotton pad must be removed.
Carry out the procedure twice or three times a day. After using these drugs, you should not eat for half an hour.
Folk recipes
To eliminate the flux on the gums of a child, you can also use traditional medicine, but their use must be agreed with the dentist. Quite an effective remedy is beets. It should be crushed with a grater (raw), and then mixed with sunflower oil. The resulting mixture is applied to the affected area. Keep the beet compress on the gums for 20 minutes or more, and then remove. After the procedure, it is important to rinse the mouth thoroughly. It is recommended to perform the procedure twice a day.
Chamomile infusion can have a calming effect on the gums. To prepare it, you should pour a tablespoon of chamomile flowers with a glass of boiling water and insist for half an hour. After this, the infusion must be filtered and cooled. The finished product should be used as a mouthwash twice or thrice during the day.
Calendula can help eliminate inflammation of the gums. The medicinal infusion of this plant should be used. To prepare it, mix a glass of boiling water and 20 grams of calendula flowers. The solution is infused for about half an hour, then cooled and filtered. Use the finished rinse three or four times a day.day.
Treatment at a pediatric dentistry clinic
Professional treatment, which is carried out in the dental office, is considered the most effective. To begin with, the doctor examines the child's mouth, identifies the causes of inflammation, and only after that prescribes the optimal therapy. The most effective modern methods of eliminating the inflammation process are:
- Irrigation of inflamed areas with medications.
- Applying anti-inflammatory drugs to damaged areas.
- Hydromassage. The inflammatory process is eliminated by massaging the gums with a water jet.
- Using a laser. Such a technique is necessary only in extreme cases, with extensive inflammation.
- Ultrasound. Used when inflammation is caused by tartar.
These methods of treating gums in children are highly effective, the early stage of inflammation can be eliminated in just a few procedures.
Drug therapy
One of the safest and most effective means to eliminate gum inflammation in children is Rotokan. Instructions for use indicate that it is an alcohol infusion of three herbs: calendula marigold, pharmacy chamomile, yarrow. The liquid has a dark brown color and a specific sharp aroma of herbs.
The drug has a complex therapeutic effect:
- Reduces inflammation.
- Stimulates regeneration, accelerateshealing of lesions on mucous membranes.
- It has an antimicrobial, antibacterial effect, allows for antiseptic treatment of the oral cavity.
Before use, the medicine should be diluted with boiled warm water. The dosage of the drug depends on how severe the inflammation is. When treating young children, 1-2 teaspoons of an alcohol solution should be diluted in a glass of water. For children over 7 years old, the dosage can be increased to 3 tablespoons.
The specified solution is used for rinsing the mouth. Carry out the procedure is shown twice or three times a day. In the treatment of children who do not know how to rinse their mouth, you can use "Rotokan" for applications. For this purpose, the prepared solution is moistened with gauze or cotton turunda, and then applied to the gums for 15-20 minutes.
Rotokan therapy should last no more than 5 days. If there is no result and the inflammation persists, you should visit a doctor.
If a child has an inflamed gum, what to do, it is important to find out. The doctor may recommend the use of antiseptic drugs or anesthetics. A popular anesthetic drug is Lidocaine. It rarely causes allergies and is well tolerated by young children.
How to prevent the development of flux on the gums of a child?
Prevention
To prevent inflammation, certain preventive measures should be followed:
- It is important to organize proper oral hygiene. Teaching children how to brush their teethearly years. You need to use a special toothpaste for children under one year old.
- Eat he althy food and limit sweets.
- You should visit the dentist regularly.
- Brush your teeth properly to avoid gum injury.
- It is recommended to take multivitamin complexes.
It is worth remembering that banal inflammation of the gums can indicate a serious pathology, so treatment of the disease in children should be started as early as possible.
