My gums are swollen and painful and I can't even open my mouth

Swollen and painful gums are a common symptom in our lives. It is mainly caused by gum inflammation or the growth of wisdom teeth. If the gums are swollen and painful, in severe cases, it will be painful when opening the mouth, which will seriously affect your daily diet. Generally speaking, we can relieve the swollen and painful gums caused by inflammation by taking oral anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics. If the cause of the disease is unknown, it is best to go to the hospital for examination and treatment.

Causes

The main cause of swollen and painful gums is poor oral hygiene, which leads to the deposition of dental plaque, tartar and soft plaque on the tooth surface near the gum margin, thereby inducing gingivitis. If not treated promptly, gingivitis can gradually develop into periodontitis, eventually leading to loose teeth and tooth loss in the entire mouth.

Clinical manifestations

The typical symptoms of gingivitis are bleeding, itchy and swollen gums. Bleeding easily when brushing teeth or talking. Examination shows that the gums are swollen and enlarged, dark red or dark red, with soft tissue and easy bleeding when probing. The gingival papillae are spherical protrusions. The swollen gums often cover one-third or more of the front lip. Due to the enlargement of the gums, the gingival sulcus deepens and forms gingival pockets, which are easy for food to hide and bacteria to breed. The self-cleaning function is poor, so the inflammation worsens and dark secretions may occur. If the body's resistance is reduced, single or multiple gingival abscesses may occur, especially in the gingival papilla area. Subjective symptoms may include irritating gum bleeding, swelling, bad breath, etc. In the later stage of the disease, the texture of the gums becomes tougher due to fibrosis and the inflammation is alleviated, which is also called hyperplastic gingivitis. Hypertrophic gingivitis that occurs during pregnancy is called pregnancy gingivitis. Sometimes individual gingival papillae swell into a spherical shape and often have a pedicle, which is called a pregnancy gingival tumor. After delivery, enlarged gums usually disappear on their own. Vitamin C deficiency gingivitis. The entire gum is purple-red and bleeds easily. In severe cases, the gingival margin will be necrotic and halitosis will be obvious. Patients who take phenytoin for a long time may develop gingival hyperplasia, which is characterized by the simultaneous hyperplasia of the buccal and lingual gums, which are nodular, firm, light in color, and not prone to bleeding.

Differential Diagnosis

Certain systemic diseases may also cause gingival hypertrophy or hyperplasia. Care should be taken in differentiation. For example, leukemia causes an increase in white blood cell count, which causes congestion in the peripheral blood vessels, resulting in swollen and enlarged gums and pale gums. If accompanied by inflammation, the gum margin will be congested and there will be bleeding. In severe cases, necrosis of the gingival papilla or gingival margin occurs, and bad breath occurs.

treat

Paying attention to oral hygiene on a daily basis, developing good habits of rinsing your mouth and brushing your teeth after meals, and mastering the correct method of brushing your teeth can effectively prevent the occurrence of gingivitis.

1. Antibiotics

If caused by systemic diseases, the main focus should be on treating the systemic diseases. Amoxicillin, first- and second-generation cephalosporins, and metronidazole can be used during the acute inflammatory phase.

2. Teeth cleaning

Remove plaque and tartar attached to the tooth surface, make the tooth surface smooth, reduce irritation, and correct food impaction. If necessary, use scaling, commonly known as teeth cleaning, to thoroughly remove tartar and control plaque.

3. Vitamins

Appropriate use of vitamin C, vitamin A and D can enhance the body's resistance and repair ability, and help repair periodontal tissues.

4. Remove the cause

Actively treat various chronic diseases.

5. Topical medication

Can be applied after removing tartar, plaque and food debris. Rinse with 3% hydrogen peroxide solution or saline and then apply 1% iodine glycerin. You can also rinse your mouth with 1:5000 potassium permanganate solution or compound borax solution. You can also selectively use gargle medicines such as Koutai gargle, chlorhexidine gargle, etc.

6. Surgery

Gingivectomy may be performed in patients with significant gingival hyperplasia.