How to deal with swollen and painful gums

What we often call swollen and painful gums is actually inflammation of the nerves at the root of the teeth or dental nerve pain caused by other reasons. If your gums are swollen and painful, we need to understand what is causing it. If it is just gum inflammation, taking some anti-inflammatory drugs such as painkillers, metronidazole tablets, and tinidazole tablets can relieve the symptoms. However, if the swollen and painful gums are caused by tooth decay, it is best to go to the hospital for treatment.

Causes of swollen and painful gums

Getting angry can cause gum swelling and pain

The weather is very dry, the human body's saliva secretion decreases, the respiratory tract becomes dry, and the fragility of blood vessels increases, making it easy to be infected by bacteria. If you take supplements or spicy food, it will accelerate the circulation of blood, which Chinese medicine calls "blood heat running wildly", and will carry germs throughout the body, causing symptoms such as swollen and painful gums, nosebleeds, dry coughs, and sore throats.

Be careful not to eat too many fried, stir-fried foods that may cause irritation, and drink some herbal tea.

Types of gingival swelling and pain

Excessive stomach fire: Symptoms include swollen and painful gums, swelling of the cheek on the affected side, even inability to chew food, local burning sensation, bitter taste in the mouth, bad breath, constipation, red tongue with yellow coating, etc. The treatment should be to clear away heat and fire, reduce swelling and relieve pain. The prescription is Qingwei San with modifications. Gypsum 25, Coptis chinensis 10, Radix Rehmanniae 15, Cortex Moutan 6, Cimicifuga heracleifolia 10, Rhizoma Cynomorii 15, Rhubarb 6, Paeonia lactiflora 10, Anemarrhena asphodeloides 10, Bambusa odoratum 10. If the pain is severe, add Angelica dahurica 10. If the tooth is allergic and painful when touched with heat, the same treatment should be applied.

Deficiency of kidney yin and ascending of virtual fire: Symptoms include slightly swollen and red gums, persistent dull pain, loose teeth, or blood in the teeth, and no other special features. The treatment is suitable for nourishing yin and reducing fire, tonifying the kidney and strengthening teeth. The prescription is Liuwei Dihuang Decoction with modifications. Rehmannia glutinosa 25, Ligustrum lucidum 15, Cornus officinalis 10, Chinese yam 15, Chinese rhizome 10, Alisma orientalis 10, Drynaria fortunei 10, Asarum 3. If the gums are severely red and swollen, add 10 grams of Anemarrhena asphodeloides and 6 grams of Phellodendron chinense.

Toothache caused by wind and cold: Symptoms include sudden onset of pain, pain in the forehead and both sides, as severe as lightning, and the gums are not red or swollen. Among them, if the pain is wandering, like lightning, and extends to the forehead and cheeks, it is wind pain. If you feel pain when you breathe in or touch cold air or cold objects, and the pain is in a fixed area, it is called cold pain. The treatment is to dispel wind, relieve cold and relieve pain. For those with cold pain as the main symptom, use 10 grams of Angelica sinensis, 6 grams of Asarum, 10 grams of Chuanxiong, 10 grams of Angelica dahurica, 5 grams of Sichuan pepper, 10 grams of Ziziphus chinensis, 6 grams of Platycodon grandiflorum, and 6 grams of Licorice. For those with wind pain as the main symptom, use 6 cinnamon twigs, 6 saposhnikovia divaricata, 10 white mustard seeds, 10 platycodon grandiflorum, 6 perilla leaves, 3 asarum, 6 ophiopogon japonicus, 10 white peony root, and 5 licorice. Regardless of whether it is wind pain or cold pain, you can use 10 grams each of asarum, angelica dahurica, Xanthium sibiricum, and licorice, decoct them in water and gargle with it several times a day.

Toothache caused by tooth decay: Toothache caused by tooth decay is also very common. The effect of oral medication alone is generally poor, and it is better to combine it with local treatment. The internal prescription is Dingtongsan, which contains 10 grams of Angelica sinensis, 12 grams of Rehmannia glutinosa, 6 grams of Asarum, 10 grams of Angelica dahurica, 10 grams of Forsythia suspensa, 10 grams of Sophora flavescens, 5 grams of Sichuan pepper, 10 grams of Coptis chinensis, 10 grams of Prunus mume, 6 grams of Platycodon grandiflorum For external use, take 5 grams each of Sichuan pepper, pepper, and gallnut, and 0.5 grams of borneol, grind them into fine powder, wrap a small amount of the powder with sterilized cotton wool, and put it into the cavity of the carious tooth. The pain will stop after saliva comes out. You can also use the toothache pills and insert them into the hole one by one to get the same effect.

How to prevent swollen and painful gums

Brush your teeth with warm water and rinse your mouth with warm tea: because the dental pulp nerves are sensitive to temperature, especially for teeth with worn teeth and exposed dentin, cold stimulation can cause toothache, and warm water is a natural protective agent for teeth, which can prevent and treat allergic toothache; tea contains fluoride, and rinsing your mouth with warm tea regularly can protect teeth, prevent caries and treat toothache.

It is best to eat warm food and avoid eating too sour or sweet food, because teeth are best metabolized in an oral temperature of 35℃-36℃ and a weakly acidic environment with a pH of around 6.8. Eating too cold or too hot food with a large temperature difference, or too sour or sweet stimulating food will cause toothache.

Brush your teeth regularly with a desensitizing or acid-resistant toothpaste. Both of these toothpastes contain fluoride, which can prevent teeth from dephosphorizing and decalcifying in an acidic environment, and has the effects of anti-acid, anti-aging, and relieving pain.

Use garlic to rub to relieve pain: If you have severely worn teeth and a clear painful area, you can rub the sensitive area repeatedly with raw garlic, 1-2 times a day, 1-2 minutes each time. After 1-2 weeks, the pain will be significantly reduced or disappear.

If you have toothache after eating acidic foods such as vinegar, yogurt or sour fruits, you can put walnut kernels in your mouth and chew them. Because walnut kernels are alkaline foods, chewing them slowly can neutralize the acidic substances on the tooth surface, so the teeth will not ache.