Gums have grown on the tooth: causes and methods of treatment

Hyperplasia as the main cause of pathology development

Why does this phenomenon occur when gums grow on a tooth? Most often this is due to the proliferation and enlargement of its cells. Scientifically, this process is called hypertrophy or hyperplasia (i.e. proliferation and increase in volume of tissue). The problem in most cases occurs against the background of an inflammatory process occurring in the oral cavity or metabolic disorders and hormonal imbalances in the body.

On a note! Hyperplasia or hypertrophy is a pathology in which soft tissue cells begin to grow uncontrollably, and the gums themselves can become inflamed and increase in size, they can begin to “crawl” onto the crown, partially or even completely (in the most advanced situations) block it.

Prerequisites for the development of hyperplasia

Various reasons can serve as prerequisites for accelerated and enhanced cell division:

excessive accumulation of hard tartar and bacterial plaque above and below the gums,
malocclusion: in such a situation, some teeth and, accordingly, the soft tissues and mucous membrane that surrounds them are subject to increased stress and pressure, they are constantly injured. The nutrition and blood circulation of tissues is disrupted, as a result of which their cells can begin to grow rapidly,
endocrine diseases,
genetic predisposition and heredity,
long-term use of steroid hormonal drugs, antidepressants, anticonvulsants,
hormonal imbalance during pregnancy, after childbirth, during menopause in women, changes in hormonal status in adolescents during puberty1,
acute vitamin deficiency: hyperplasia often occurs due to a lack of vitamin C,
traumatic damage to the mucous membrane due to incorrectly installed fillings, artificial crowns or braces,
teething,
leukemia

Main diseases characterized by tissue hyperplasia

Fibrous or hypertrophic gingivitis

Between the teeth there are gingival papillae, which during the development of fibrous gingivitis begin to gradually increase in size, they become denser and grow. In this case, the mucous membrane remains painless for a long time, and there is no bleeding.

Read more about all types and symptoms of gingivitis in a separate article on the website.

The disease develops against the background of poor oral hygiene and the accumulation of a large amount of plaque; it can appear due to poor-quality prosthetics and constant trauma to the mucous membrane. People who have hormonal imbalances or gastrointestinal diseases also encounter fibrous gingivitis. The disease often occurs in both adults and children.

Important! A growth over a tooth is not always associated with hyperplasia; it can be nothing more than a gumboil, abscess, fistula or cyst, indicating advanced dental diseases. Most often, such manifestations are very painful, they are white in color, because... pus accumulates in them.

Fibromatosis

This is a hereditary disease and therefore often manifests itself in childhood. It is characterized by the growth of individual areas of the gums and proceeds very slowly. The color of the affected tissues is usually no different from healthy ones; they are painless.

The disease occurs mainly in the frontal area of the smile, and soft tissues can grow so much that they cover the crowns by more than 2/3. If fibromatosis is not treated, it is fraught with destruction of interdental septa, osteoporosis, and a severe violation of the aesthetics of the smile.

Fibropapilloma

If the gums have grown onto the crown, then a disease such as fibropapilloma may be to blame. This is a benign tumor. The tumor is hard to the touch, but painless. Its appearance in childhood is more dangerous, because can lead to disruption of the formation, growth and eruption of permanent elements.

Epulis

Epulis, like fibropapilloma, is a benign formation. It has a mushroom shape, because the tumor grows on a stalk. Appears as a result of chronic irritation and tissue injury. The most common location is the area of the incisors or canines. If the tumor is not removed, it can lead to pathological mobility and tooth loss.

Prevention measures

It is impossible to completely guarantee protection against the gradual separation of the gums from the tooth, because this will happen naturally with age, but you can slow down this process. Experts in the field of periodontology and dentistry have identified several basic recommendations, following which you can minimize the risk of gum recession:

The first thing you need to do is systematically visit the dentist 2-3 times a year as a preventative measure.
You need to give up bad habits or reduce them to a minimum.
Enrich your daily diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.
Perform hygiene procedures at least 2 times a day, in the morning and before bed. If desired, you can supplement brushing with dental floss.
If you suspect or have any symptoms of any oral disease, consult a doctor immediately.

Regular dental checkups are something that most people neglect. Therefore, you need to develop a habit that will help keep your teeth healthy.

It is important to know! If your gums are your weak spot, you need to brush your teeth very gently, using a soft toothbrush and mouthwash. A hard brush can harm the gums and cause them to separate over time.

Gum recession is not just an aesthetic problem. This phenomenon signals the presence of a more serious disease or ongoing pathological processes in the soft tissues of the gums. Any deviation from the normal state should alert you and cause a visit to the dentist.

Laser gingivotomy - surgical treatment of complex forms of periodontitis

Laser gingivectomy in the area of one tooth

Open and closed curettage of periodontal pockets

Splinting teeth for periodontitis with fiberglass and tape

Treatment of generalized moderate and severe periodontitis

Catarrhal and hypertrophic gingivitis symptoms and treatment in adults

Why does the problem appear in children and when should you see a doctor?

The situation when gums grow on a child’s tooth most often occurs during the period of teething, as well as the change from a primary bite to a permanent one. During eruption, the mucous membrane swells and increases slightly in size, because it is irritated, blood circulation increases in it, but in this case we are not talking about hyperplasia. However, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the child’s oral cavity over time.

You should consult a doctor in the following situations:

if 2-3 months after the crown “hatched”, it did not come out completely, and most of it remains under the gum or soft tissue hangs over it, partially covering it,
the baby tooth did not fall out during the change of bite, but gums are growing on it: perhaps a permanent element is “hiding” under the formed tubercle, which did not have enough space, and it began to make its way in a different direction or into the second row,
the growth is filled with white contents, and the child has a bad smell from the mouth: perhaps we are talking about the presence of advanced dental diseases, which are complicated by a fistula, abscess or cyst.

Treatment of gum recession in children

The main task of the dentist when treating gum recession in children is to eliminate the cause of the disease. Typically this requires:

carry out professional oral hygiene;
teach your child how to properly brush their teeth;
eliminate malocclusions.

In most cases this is enough. As the condition of the oral cavity stabilizes, the gum tissue returns to its normal position. In extremely severe forms of the disease, when the teeth are excessively exposed and become mobile, gum grafting may be performed. In children, this method is rarely used, since the advanced stage is practically never encountered in them.

Gum growth on wisdom teeth

There are situations when gums have grown on a wisdom tooth. And this is not related to the phenomenon of hyperplasia. If the third molar has only recently begun to erupt outward, one of its cutting edges has already appeared, and suddenly you feel pain, bad breath appears, and upon examination, inflammation, swelling of the soft tissues and their overhang over the tooth are discovered, then you probably have pericoronitis began.

Pericoronitis is an inflammation of the gingival hood over the third molar. The disease develops due to the fact that small pieces of food begin to get into the gap between the gum and the “eight” that has not fully penetrated, which rot because they are difficult to remove.

For more information about what pericoronitis is and how it is treated, read the feature article on the website.

If a broken tooth is healed

Situations where a tooth broken at the very root is overgrown with gums are not uncommon. It can break due to injury or collapse due to advanced dental disease. After this, many people are in no hurry to remove the root, and in some cases it gradually grows over from above (this process can last several years), and then does not bother or hurt for a long time. However, sooner or later, unpleasant sensations still appear: it becomes painful to chew, overgrown tissues swell and are constantly injured.

“My gums have grown on my back tooth, which broke off three years ago. I completely forgot about him, because... It didn’t give me any trouble, only sometimes after cleaning it would scavenge, but I didn’t attach any importance to it. All this was revealed during an examination at the dentist, when I went there with a completely different problem. In principle, the doctor decided everything quickly: he opened this growth and removed the root, then put stitches, but then it healed for a very long time and painfully. It was also very disappointing to hear that if I had contacted him immediately after the tooth was chipped, it could have been restored, but I immediately decided for myself that it was lost. That’s it!”
Varvara, review from 32top.ru

Remember that if a tooth is broken, then either its timely removal or restoration and prosthetics is necessary, because a serious inflammatory process can begin under the overgrown tissues or at the root, which can spread to the jaw, cheek, can develop deep into the body, lead to periostitis and osteomyelitis.

How long does the gum “grow” and the stages of development of hyperplasia

Pathology can develop slowly if it is caused by fibromatosis, epulis or fibropapilloma. And it can develop more rapidly if it occurs against the background of gingivitis.

As for the stages of development of hyperplasia, doctors identify the following:

first stage: the gingival papillae thicken and thicken, while there are no other alarming signs,
second stage: soft tissues grow and can cover up to half of the crown. Due to the volume, tissues are easily injured during oral hygiene and when chewing food, they can begin to bleed,
third stage: the most rare stage. The tissues grow so much that they can even cover the cutting area of the crown. Granulations appear on the affected areas.

If you break off a tooth, gum growth may take several years.

Gums moving away from teeth: reasons

Periodontitis is a continuation of gingivitis, but can occur in parallel with it. A large number of studies have been devoted to the causes of the development of the disease, during which it was found that a chain of pathological reactions is triggered by inflammatory phenomena of the mucous membrane, which can be caused by the following factors:

Microorganisms. In this case, it is not the microbes themselves that have a damaging effect, but the toxins they produce. If the patient does not pay enough attention to oral hygiene, then a large number of microorganisms accumulate on the teeth, forming a plaque. The abundant release of toxins leads to the destruction of mucosal cells and its inflammation.
Traumatic factors. In this case, the overhanging edges of the filling or dentures have a damaging effect on the gum mucosa. If the patient neglects the rules of personal hygiene, then inflammation begins to develop very quickly due to the additional exposure to microorganisms. In this case, the problem is local in nature and limited only to the area of injury.
Excessive load on the periodontium. We are talking about a variety of malocclusions, dental defects, improper installation of dentures, bruxism and some other conditions. As a result, a certain part of the teeth experiences regular overload, which leads to disruption of the blood supply to the periodontium, bone destruction and the appearance of tooth mobility.

These reasons make the greatest contribution to the development of inflammation and subsequent periodontitis. According to research, this process can also be influenced to some extent by other conditions:

Imbalance of vitamins.
Atherosclerosis of periodontal vessels.
Neurodystrophic diseases.
Decrease in the body's defenses.
Hypoxia.
Endocrine pathology.
Diseases of the blood and gastrointestinal tract.
Immunological and psychosomatic disorders.

Before you begin to treat periodontitis, it is necessary to establish the reasons that led to the gums moving away from the teeth and eliminate them. For this, various diagnostic methods are used.

Signs and symptoms of hyperplasia

Those who have this problem rarely experience pain right away. But almost all patients notice a visual violation of the aesthetics of a smile, because the gums become voluminous and loose, which, as a rule, is the reason for visiting a doctor.

Discomfort and pain appear after the tissues have grown significantly, and they involuntarily have to be constantly injured during hygiene procedures and eating food. Another sign is the appearance of bad breath, which does not go away after careful hygiene or quickly returns again.

How is the treatment carried out?

Some people think that they can be cured with regular rinses. Unfortunately, it is not. The first step is to make an appointment with a dental hygienist. The doctor removes soft and hard deposits from the surface of the crowns and subgingival area in one session.

The following methods are used to remove stone:

Instrumental. Involves the use of special scrapers that remove deposits. It is considered outdated and is extremely rarely used by doctors, as it is traumatic.
Ultrasonic. Using an ultrasonic scaler, the doctor crushes the stones into tiny particles. This equipment produces waves of the required frequency, which easily destroy dental plaque.
Sandblasting. It is the most modern and safe. The doctor delivers the cleaning solution under high pressure. Abrasive particles wash away deposits from crowns and effectively flush out existing pockets. The advantage of the technique is to achieve the effect of teeth whitening by one or two shades.

If the hygiene procedure does not help and the problem is serious, the patient is prescribed surgical treatment.

Consequences and complications if the pathology is not treated

Many patients see overgrown gums as only one problem – a significant disruption to the aesthetics of their smile. However, this is not so: if the pathology is not eliminated and it is allowed to progress further, then this is fraught with serious complications for the health of the oral cavity and the body as a whole.

If left untreated, the patient may develop degenerative diseases of periodontal tissues, leading to the destruction of the interdental septa and supporting ligaments that hold the teeth in the sockets. You may lose your teeth much earlier than you would like.

Hypertrophied tissues are subject to constant trauma, which is why any benign formation can sooner or later become malignant. Another common complication is osteoporosis.

For children, the lack of treatment is fraught with disruption of the formation, as well as the timing of the loss of milk and the eruption of permanent elements.

If a single growth appears on the gum, this may not always indicate hyperplasia or hypertrophy. Some people mistake the growth for a fistula, cyst, or abscess. If you do not consult a doctor in a timely manner for these pathologies, the purulent contents from these neoplasms can spread throughout the body, causing damage to the cardiovascular and circulatory systems, gastrointestinal diseases, sepsis and even a brain abscess.

Methods of treating pathology in dentistry

The most common method of removing overgrown tissue is surgical excision using a scalpel or laser. Scientifically, this surgical operation is called gingivectomy. The procedure is performed under anesthesia.

About the indications, types and complications after gingivectomy - in the feature article on the website.

If there are few damaged tissues, then doctors may suggest their removal using cryodestruction, when under the influence of low temperatures they die off on their own over time.

If tissue proliferation is accompanied by an inflammatory process, then electrophoresis and darsonvalization may additionally be prescribed.

In addition to excision of excess tissue, treatment should be carried out aimed at eliminating the cause that provoked the development of the pathology. If the cause is a malocclusion, then the patient needs to see an orthodontist, who will prescribe devices to correct the position of the dentition. If there is a fragment of a tooth inside the overgrown gum, then it is necessary to remove it or use prosthetics, if the situation allows. In case of internal diseases of the body, the patient will be referred to specialized specialists - endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, cardiologist, etc.

Dentists are required to sanitize the oral cavity and remove hard and soft bacterial plaque.

Additional treatments

Considering that gums become inflamed for various reasons, it is important to try to find out the provoking factor. Then the risk of relapse of dental pathology can be reduced to a minimum.

If the doctor determines that the disorder is related to hormonal levels, it is necessary to select hormonal therapy . In case of malocclusion, consultation with an orthodontist is indicated. If the diet is unbalanced, the patient is told what the diet should be like after recovery.

Often, when fighting gum that has receded from a tooth, anti-inflammatory drugs, immunomodulators, glucocorticosteroids, and antiseptics are used. It is very important that the patient strictly follows all medical prescriptions and does not engage in amateur activities. An integrated and responsible approach to treating recession is a guarantee of a speedy recovery.

If the tissues become so inflamed that the teeth begin to loosen, splinting may be required. If there is a deficiency of bone tissue, their deficiency is compensated with special compounds.

Recovery period after surgery

If the gum has grown on the tooth, then now you know what to do - you need to contact a dentist who will prescribe adequate treatment.

Since treatment for hyperplasia involves surgical manipulation, there will be a recovery period after it, taking from 5-7 to 10-14 days. At this time, you need to follow all the doctor’s recommendations: take prescribed anti-inflammatory and wound-healing agents, rinse with antiseptics, and use painkillers as pain occurs.

During the rehabilitation period, it is important to exclude “irritating foods” from the diet: spicy and salty, cold and hot, solid foods. And, on the contrary, you need to diversify your diet with foods rich in vitamins C, E, B, A, calcium and phosphorus.

To care for the oral cavity, you need to use a brush with soft bristles and a non-abrasive toothpaste; you should avoid using an irrigator for a few days.

Why does a recession occur?

The development of a recession can be due to a variety of reasons:

Plaque and hard deposits. As a result of the formation of deposits, the gum epithelium is displaced.
Specific structure of the alveolar process of teeth. Sometimes, in the presence of a massive root system, thinning of the layer of cortical bone tissue occurs. This leads to insufficient blood supply to the tissues, the formation of a gap-like defect between the tooth and the gum, and receding gums.
Improper oral care. Brushing your teeth can damage your gums. This occurs when choosing too hard bristles or improper brushing techniques. With regular damage, the condition worsens, leading to gum recession.
Injuries. For example, a dislocated tooth.
Orthodontic treatment. It involves putting pressure on the dentition, displacing the teeth, which in some cases can lead to thinning of the gum tissue. In addition, non-removable structures make hygiene difficult and can directly put pressure on soft tissues.
Exposure to arsenic. The use of arsenic pastes during endodontic treatment can cause gum loss if the drug gets on the gums.
Gingivitis or periodontitis. Inflammatory diseases of the gums and periodontal tissues, especially those that last for a long time.
Short frenulum of the lips.

It should be noted that there are predisposing factors that, in combination with other causes, are most likely to lead to periodontal prolapse. These include a thin gum biotype, as well as the vestibular location of the teeth or anomalies in their position, close attachment of the frenulum of the lips and tongue.

By themselves, these features do not always lead to pathology, but they increase the likelihood of recession, for example, when exposed to bacteria and viruses, injuries, etc.

Is it possible to get rid of the problem on my own?

Some people use decoctions of medicinal herbs and plants (chamomile, oak bark, sage and others), as well as solutions to relieve gum inflammation (such as Chlorophyllipt or Stomatophyte) to get rid of the problem. However, you need to understand that hyperplasia cannot be cured by rinsing. This measure will not reduce the volume of overgrown tissue, but will help relieve signs of the inflammatory process and alleviate the condition during teething, and is also well suited as a concomitant therapy after surgical excision of excess gum tissue, which is carried out in a dental office.