Such an unpleasant surprise as an abscess that appeared on the gum will surely spoil the mood. The initial stage of inflammation of the gums can pass almost imperceptibly - for an abscess, like many other infectious diseases, a long development and course is characteristic. Only an unpleasant sensation while brushing your teeth or while chewing solid food, as well as bleeding gums, will tell you that not everything is in order in the oral cavity.
Possibility of complications
If you do not pay attention to such an insignificant, at first glance, sign, you can get serious complications. In the absence of proper treatment, the abscess on the gums (photo below) may increase in size, bleeding will increase, and in the future, a breakthrough and spread of infection is possible. Then strong pain sensations follow, the gums swell, and a flux formation appears. In this case, even blood poisoning is possible! And to prevent thisdevelopment of events, it is necessary to figure out what an abscess is, for what reasons it appears and how to get rid of it.
What causes an abscess?
An abscess on the gum is a cavity that has appeared on the gum, with purulent contents. This can happen for various reasons. The main one is infection of the gum tissue - perhaps harmful bacteria have entered the periodontal pocket. Patients with prostheses and crowns on their teeth are most susceptible to the development of bacterial microflora. The first thing to remember in this situation is the need to contact a specialist for advice and treatment. Important: if an abscess appears on the gum, in no case should you get rid of the abscess yourself! Only a visit to the doctor will help identify the cause of the formation, help get rid of pain and abscess and prevent the development of complications.
Pain free
It happens that purulent formations develop without pain or any other symptoms. For example, with a cold or infection of the tooth, a cyst may form in the form of a closed abscess in the gum. The abscess in this case is white, without pronounced infectious symptoms due to the deep location of the focus of inflammation. This formation is considered very dangerous, and X-ray is prescribed to identify it. Similar to a cyst in terms of signs, there is also a wen, which can grow over time, and a benign tumor, which poses a serious degree of danger.
Poor-quality treatment
The reason for the appearance of an abscess onPoorly performed tooth treatment can become the gum, microbes can begin their activity under the filling and suppuration is formed in the future. The use of non-sterile instruments during dental treatment can lead to the same consequences.
Also, the reasons are non-compliance with oral hygiene, the presence of tartar and permanent plaque on the teeth, caries, smoking, poor nutrition, pathologies of the digestive tract and immune failures.
So, many reasons that contribute to the appearance of ulcers in the oral cavity come down to two main ones:
- Periodontitis - when between the gum and the lower edge of the teeth there are areas of sagging gum tissue, the so-called pockets, in which food debris accumulates, they are just a favorable environment for the reproduction of bacteria.
- Periodontitis is a disease in which the focus of infection is formed at the very root of the tooth due to untreated caries or pulpitis, for example.
Consequences and complications
We found out that the lack of treatment of an abscess on the gums in a child and in an adult can lead to disastrous consequences. One of them is periodontal disease, with the spread of infection throughout the gum, which can lead to the appearance of flux, tooth loss and even surgery. Another unpleasant consequence is osteomyelitis. It is characterized by the formation of a dense abscess with a liquid content of a reddish color, accompanied by such symptoms - swollen lymph nodes, weakness, fever. In addition, functioningThe focus of infection in the body affects the work of all organs and systems, in particular, it negatively affects the immune system, creates conditions for the development of various diseases.
Since, in fact, an abscess is an accumulation of infection, negative consequences may occur due to reduced immunity or untimely therapy. If an abscess is observed on milk teeth, then with the further spread of infection, the rudiments of permanent teeth may die. In addition, there will be a development of pathology in the jaw apparatus and an abnormal bite is formed. With prolonged presence of an abscess, the protective functions of the immune system are inhibited, which can provoke an allergy. It is also possible that the pathology of periodontal tissue (periodontitis) will join. Repeated relapses lead to premature tooth loss.
How to treat?
First of all, you need to know what exactly you should not do when an abscess is found on the gum:
- Trying to open an abscess on your own will only get worse.
- Stop brushing your teeth completely - do not exclude oral hygiene, just brush your teeth carefully so as not to injure the gums. Perhaps you should change your toothbrush to a softer one. If brushing your teeth causes pain, you can simply rinse your mouth with toothpaste diluted in water.
- Use hot compresses to apply to sore spots - in heat, microbes multiply more intensively, and pus, on the contrary, becomes more.
- Rinse your mouthwarm decoctions and infusions, it is better to cool them.
Well, the main question remains - if there is an abscess on the gum, what should I do?
It must be remembered that the sooner you seek qualified help, the easier, easier and faster the treatment will be. An experienced doctor will not only eliminate the abscess itself, but, first of all, find out the reasons that contribute to its appearance.
Treatment in the dental office takes place in several stages.
Preparation
Before a visit to the dentist, it is a good idea to carry out disinfecting procedures. For example, rinsing the mouth with a chilled decoction of chamomile, a solution of furacilin or potassium permanganate will have an excellent antiseptic effect.
Opening an abscess on the gum of a tooth
After a thorough examination, the doctor opens the abscess in an operative way to remove the accumulated pus there. This is usually done using local anesthesia. The operation does not take long.
Processing
How to treat an abscess on the gum? This is a common question. After removing the pus, the wound is cleaned and disinfected, the abscess cavity is washed with antibiotics. If possible, they immediately eliminate all sources of infection, if any: they treat caries, fill voids, and eliminate plaque. This is necessary to prevent re-inflammation.
Delete
Unfortunately, there are advanced cases, with severe purulent inflammation, when you cannot do without tooth extraction, in order to avoid infection in the jawbone. Also, if necessary, perform additional surgic altreatment - filling of carious cavities, removal of cysts.
After opening the abscess, the patient is given recommendations for taking antibiotics and using disinfectant washes. Also, at the discretion of the doctor, drugs that accelerate tissue regeneration can be prescribed.
Treatment at the dentist
In order for an abscess not to lead to complications or to avoid unpleasant symptoms, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. But people are playing for time and come to the dental office with prolonged suppuration, its relapses or severe pain. Before starting therapy, the dentist takes x-rays.
What can you do at home?
Purulent inflammation will not go away by itself, and it is, of course, impossible to cure an abscess on the gums at home, on your own, without the help of a qualified specialist.
But it happens that a visit to the doctor is temporarily impossible or postponed, then how to alleviate the symptoms at home?
- You can use cool antiseptic solutions for rinsing: Chlorhexidine, Stomatidine, Miramistin, Rivanol or regular potassium permanganate solution.
- It is useful to apply cold compresses or ice to the affected area.
- If severe pain bothers you, you can resort to the help of analgesics. The pain will be temporarily relieved by drugs such as Nimesil, Ketanol, Nise, Solpadein, and others.
- If there are medicinal herbs in the medicine cabinet at home, you can prepare decoctions with very good anti-inflammatory properties for teeth and gums and stop the development of inflammation. For thosepurposes use oak bark, nettle, sage leaves, chamomile flowers, calamus root. Cooked and cooled to room temperature (or lower), rinse the abscess with a decoction as often as possible, paying special attention to the affected side.
Treatment of ulcers on the gums should be timely.
Prevention
In order to prevent the appearance of pustular formations on the gums and avoid long and expensive treatment, it is enough to take simple preventive measures:
- brush your teeth 2 times a day, even better after every meal, using a brush, paste, floss and rinse solutions;
- finally stop smoking;
- for timely detection of the initial stage of diseases, it is necessary to visit the dentist 1-2 times a year.
- examine your mouth regularly.
