Causes of gum swelling and treatment methods

Etiology and pathogenesis

The development of periostitis most often occurs with inflammatory diseases of the oral cavity and teeth, pulpitis and periodontitis. Also, the development of purulent inflammation of the periosteum can occur after jaw fractures, injuries and wounds of the soft tissues of the cheek, after treatment with anesthesia. Through damage to the dental tissue, gums or cheeks, the pathogen enters the jawbone, causing inflammation.

Acute periostitis can develop as a result of acute or chronic periodontitis, with suppuration of odontogenic cysts, and difficulty in teething. The process begins with the inner layer of the periosteum, gradually spreading to all other layers. Periostitis occurs when the focus of primary infection of the tooth canal or gum is blocked and its contents penetrate into the periosteum. The exudate penetrates through small holes in the alveolar plate through the channels.

Less commonly, flux develops in diseases of the pharynx (sore throat, pharyngitis, laryngotracheitis) or in the presence of a focus of infection in the body, from where it can be transferred to the periosteum with the blood or lymph flow.

When examining purulent contents during purulent periostitis, staphylococci (Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main causes of flux development), streptococci, various types of bacilli and putrefactive bacteria are often found.

Reference! 25% of all pathogenic microflora during flux are aerobic bacteria, the rest is anaerobic forms.

General factors influencing the development of the disease:

• weak immunity;
• hypothermia;
• stressful situations;
• poor oral hygiene;
• carious processes in teeth;
• old fillings;
• frequent medical interventions;
• bad habits.

Forms of periostitis

Depending on the cause of the flux and its course, we talk about its forms:

• Acute: simple – occurs as a result of a bruise of the face, with fractures and injuries of the jaw bones;
• purulent – ​​penetration of periodontal infection to the periosteum;
• tuberculosis - when Koch's bacillus is carried into the periosteum and bone tuberculosis;
• syphilitic - as a complication of congenital or acquired syphilis.

Reason to see a doctor

If you were able to independently determine the cause of the gum swelling (an erupting tooth is visible, an injury is obvious, a tooth was recently removed, etc.) and it does not require the intervention of a doctor, you do not need to go to the clinic. But if the inflamed gum hurts for more than 3 days and there is no improvement in the condition, you should still consult a doctor.

If you have gum inflammation, you need to urgently go to the hospital in several cases:

• there was an unpleasant odor from the mouth and pus was found;
• not only the gums are swollen, but also the cheek;
• when you tilt your head to the painful side, you feel heaviness;
• there is a high temperature;
• swollen tissues are very different in color from healthy ones (white and yellow tumors indicate suppuration, and bluish and burgundy shades indicate blood stagnation);
• the pain seems to pulsate and is not relieved by analgesics.

Even in the absence of these symptoms, but if the cause of gum swelling is unknown, it is worth visiting a specialist. This will help avoid dangerous complications, as well as quickly alleviate the condition, relieve or reduce pain.

Clinical picture

The main symptom for all types of flux is severe toothache at the site of infection, sometimes diffuse (with extensive bone damage). Swelling gradually begins to increase: first it is localized above the site of inflammation, and then along the surrounding tissues, sometimes affecting the neck, temple and eye.

Important! Sometimes flux occurs painlessly or with a mild pain effect, which, as a rule, indicates the development of a chronic form with sluggish inflammation and periodic relapses.

Inflammation is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• pulsation at the site of the lesion;
• increase in body temperature to subfebrile and febrile levels;
• headache;
• enlarged lymph nodes on the affected side;
• weakness, lethargy, lack of appetite;
• pain when swallowing, talking, opening the mouth;
• pain when pressing on the gum;
• redness of the oral mucosa at the site of the lesion.

What to rinse with?

To eliminate painful sensations, people are advised to rinse their mouths with special antiseptic solutions, for example:

1. Chlorhexidine. The medicine is diluted in water in accordance with the recommendations specified in the instructions. Manipulations are carried out after brushing your teeth, no more than three times a day.
2. Miramistin. The drug is able to eliminate pain and also destroy pathogenic microorganisms.
3. Hydrogen peroxide.

Therapy and rehabilitation

Treatment of the disease is carried out by two methods - conservative and surgical. The choice of method depends on the form of the disease, its severity, and the course of the disease. In the early stages of development of the pathological process, conservative treatment is possible by prescribing a complex of drugs:

• broad spectrum antibiotics
• anti-inflammatory;
• painkillers;
• antipyretic.

IMPORTANT! Conservative treatment requires careful compliance with all doctor’s instructions until the process is completely eliminated. Otherwise, there is a risk of the disease becoming chronic.

Purulent periostitis is treated by wide opening of the purulent sac with dissection of the periosteum to the bone. At the same time, the issue of treating the tooth that caused the inflammatory process is being resolved. Most often, such a tooth is removed. After removing the pus, medications are prescribed, including antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and painkillers. Additionally, physical therapy may be prescribed: UHF, microwaves. The patient is recommended to frequently rinse the mouth with a solution of baking soda or sage tincture.

Simple periostitis requires complete rest of the injured area and treatment with physiotherapeutic procedures. All other types are reduced to treating the underlying disease or eliminating the focus of fibrous tissue growth.

IMPORTANT! Under no circumstances should you treat flux yourself. It is especially not recommended to pierce a purulent sac: there is a high risk of infection in neighboring tissues.

To speed up the treatment and recovery processes, you can resort to traditional medicine methods.

Main reasons

Modern medicine considers the following factors as the causes of pain:

1. Pathological processes in the gums, occurring in both chronic and acute forms, for example, periodontitis or periodontal disease.
2. A wisdom tooth is erupting, the consequences of its removal or opening the hood.
3. Inflammation caused by infectious diseases, for example, measles, tonsillitis, otitis media, caries.
4. Insufficient content of vitamins in the body.
5. The occurrence of neoplasms of a malignant or benign nature.
6. Mechanical damage to the gums, due to which an inflammatory process develops.
7. Use of specific medications.
8. Accumulated plaque, etc.

Prevention

Flux is easier to prevent than to treat. Prevention methods are simple and known to almost everyone. They consist of timely treatment of carious teeth, timely removal of the gum hood from wisdom teeth, the correct choice of toothbrush and toothpaste, and timely replacement of oral hygiene products. It is recommended that you visit your dentist at least twice a year and have your teeth professionally deep cleaned to remove plaque at least once a year.

IMPORTANT! Don’t forget about strengthening your immune system and giving up bad habits.

Dental flux is an unpleasant disease that requires treatment by specialists at an early stage of development. Self-medication in case of periostitis is unacceptable. With a favorable course and initial stage of development, conservative treatment is possible, but most often they resort to the surgical method.

Pain after wisdom tooth removal

Patients are always interested in the question, how many days does the jaw hurt after wisdom tooth removal? Pain after surgery is a standard tissue response to injury. Normally, the pain subsides within a few hours or within 3 days after extraction (in case of complicated removal). The pain a patient experiences after wisdom tooth removal indicates the success of the procedure.

• The first discomfort and pain appear 2-3 hours
  after the intervention (when the anesthetic wears off).
• The first 3-4 days
  there is aching pain, redness and swelling of the soft tissues. If the extraction is successful and the hole is properly cared for, the pain will gradually disappear.
• Over the next 2 weeks
  , if there are no complications, the wound will heal completely, and minor pain may occasionally occur in the late afternoon.
• After 3 weeks,
  all discomfort should disappear.

If a wisdom tooth has been pulled out and it hurts for more than 5 days, the intensity of the pain increases, it becomes throbbing, debilitating, accompanied by fever, swelling - this indicates a complication and requires immediate medical intervention.

Ulcerative stomatitis - symptoms and treatment

The main goal of therapy is to reduce pain and speed up healing. First of all, it is necessary to eliminate irritants that cause discomfort to the patient. The next step is to reduce symptoms as much as possible.

To treat stomatitis, rinsing with solutions of furatsilin, miramistin, chlorhexidine, and hydrogen peroxide is prescribed. Rinsing will reduce pain and itching, and cleanse the oral cavity of food debris that injures the damaged areas.

In case of severe pain, applications with painkillers are prescribed - “Kamistad”, “Lidocaine Asept”. Treatment for different forms of stomatitis will differ.

Infectious stomatitis. When treating, it is first necessary to understand what problem with the immune system caused this condition and to strengthen the body’s defenses. To do this, Prodigiosan is administered intramuscularly, the oral cavity is treated with antiseptics, proteolytic enzymes, and UV therapy is prescribed [11].

Vesicular stomatitis. To reduce symptoms, proper rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking antipyretic medications will be helpful. Also, the oral mucosa is treated with antiseptics (Suprastin, Hexetidine, Pipolfen) and antiviral ointments are used - rhiodoxol and tebrofen. Antiherpetic drugs are often prescribed - Famciclovir, Acyclovir, Valacyclovir. If you follow the doctor’s recommendations, the symptoms of the disease quickly go away and the patient recovers.

Vincent's ulcerative necrotic stomatitis. During treatment, dental plaque is carefully removed, the oral mucosa is treated with antiseptics, and multivitamins are prescribed (for example, Complivita).

Allergic stomatitis. Treatment consists of eliminating the cause of the allergy and taking oral antihistamines. In severe cases of allergic stomatitis, sodium thiosulfate solution is administered intravenously. During treatment in a hospital, drip infusions of hemodez, isotonic sodium chloride solution, polyglucin, and corticosteroids are prescribed.

Chronic recurrent aphthous stomatitis. With local treatment, traumatic factors are eliminated, the mouth is rinsed with tetracycline (250 mg per 5 ml of water 4 times a day for 5-7 days), applications are made with corticosteroids and antibiotics, and painkillers are prescribed. For deep ulcers, proteolytic enzymes are used.

General treatment includes taking medications:

• tetracycline, rifampicin (two capsules twice a day);
• “Tarivid” (one tablet twice a day for 20 days);
• sodium thiosulfate (10 ml of 30% solution intravenously once a day or 1.5-3 g orally);
• “Prodigiosan” (start with 15 mcg once every five days and increase the dose to 100 mcg);
• "Levamisole" (50 mg three times a day two days in a row a week or 150 mg once);
• "Delagil" (one tablet once a day);
• "Colchicine" (one tablet twice a day for two months);
• "Aevit" (1 ml once a day intramuscularly for 20 days);
• “Histaglobulin” (2 ml subcutaneously once every three days) [11].

Stomatitis due to intoxication with salts of heavy metals and chemical solutions. If a chemical gets on the mucous membrane, you must immediately wash it off with a neutralizing solution. Further treatment of patients with chemical burns is carried out with painkillers and antiseptics and drugs that accelerate the restoration of the epithelium. A high-calorie diet is also important. For extensive scars, surgical intervention is indicated [15].

Traditional methods

To eliminate painful sensations, people can use folk recipes, provided there are no contraindications and individual intolerance to the components included in them:

1. Soda-salt solution. To prepare it, you need to pour a glass of water into a deep container, into which soda and salt (a teaspoon each) are poured. After thorough mixing, it should be used for rinsing. You can add a few drops of iodine to the soda-salt solution. Manipulations should be carried out every two hours.
2. For mouth rinsing, it is recommended to use herbal infusions made from eucalyptus, calendula or sage.
3. A good effect is achieved by using chamomile infusion. To prepare it, dry and crushed grass (1 tbsp) is poured into a deep container, which is poured with boiling water (1 l). The contents of the dish should be infused for 15 minutes, after which it is filtered. The collected liquid is used to rinse the mouth.