What to do if your gums or cheek are swollen?

Why do my gums or cheeks swell?

In most cases, swelling of the gums or cheeks is caused by purely dental reasons:

• Flux

During gumboil, the gums become swollen and painful, and the temperature rises. The development of a tumor begins with an ordinary carious cavity. It gets infected, which eventually leads to tooth decay. Pus accumulates and begins to look for a way out. The cheek swells greatly and a white spot appears on its surface. Without treatment, a fistula forms in this place, and the cheek turns into a huge purulent wound. If you do not seek help from a doctor in time, blood poisoning may occur.

• Removal of a tooth

This operation inevitably involves damage to soft tissue, and swelling is a natural phenomenon. After a while it subsides. If this does not happen, and the gums swell more and more, then you need to urgently visit a doctor. Causes of severe swelling can be:

• a large accumulation of pus,
• incipient periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum),
• infection in the wound.

If you notice swelling of the cheeks and gums, or tissues of the oral cavity, then you need to consult a dentist.
The doctor will determine the exact cause, begin treatment or refer you to another specialist.

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• Inflammatory infiltrate

It usually occurs against the background of pulpitis or periodontitis. Pus begins to accumulate in the soft tissues, which causes the appearance of phlegmons and abscesses. It is considered a very dangerous disease because it can lead to big troubles.

• Periodontal disease

Swelling is accompanied by aching or sharp pain. There is no conservative treatment; surgical intervention is necessary. Often it is necessary to remove some teeth and install dentures.

• Teeth chips

The sharp edges of a destroyed tooth begin to scratch the inner walls of the cheek, which leads to inflammation and severe swelling.

• Wisdom tooth growth, pericoronitis

The eruption of the figure eight often leads to inflammation of the gingival hood. Swelling, as a rule, extends to both the cheek and gum.

• Carious teeth

Advanced caries often causes not only the gums to swell, but also the tonsils and cheeks. After eliminating the cause, the swelling gradually goes away. Folk remedies are useless here; urgent medical help is needed.

• Cyst

Depending on the type of cyst, its shape, and location, the doctor decides on conservative or surgical treatment. In some cases, a consultation with an oncologist may be required.

• Gum disease

Swelling is one of the main signs of inflammation of periodontal tissue. Without treatment, the disease quickly becomes chronic and difficult to treat. There is a high chance of losing a tooth.

In addition to the reasons listed, swelling of the gums and cheeks can be caused by:

• inflammation of the facial nerves;
• pathologies of the maxillofacial skeleton;
• allergies;
• disruption of the immune system;
• inflammation of the submandibular and parotid lymph nodes as a result of an infectious disease;
• malignant neoplasm;
• facial injury;
• diseases of internal organs, such as the heart;
• eye diseases;
• blood pathologies.

Causes of jaw pain

The face has a complex anatomical structure. In this area:

• complex articulation of the jawbone with the skull ( temporomandibular joint );
• rich innervation - the trigeminal nerve runs on both sides of the face;
• oral cavity lined with mucous membrane;
• teeth, gums, richly innervated tongue;
• proximity of reflexogenic zones (areas where many receptors are located).

Disorders and pathologies in any part can cause pain in the jaw, which often spreads (radiates) to the entire facial area.

And yet, the most common cause of discomfort is pathologies or disorders of the dental system. That is why, if a patient has jaw pain, it is recommended that he contact the dentist first.

Damage to teeth

Damage to dental tissue is one of the most common reasons why the lower or upper jaw hurts. Moreover, such sensations are often radiating, that is, they can manifest themselves as pain in the jaw, temple and even ear. Probable reasons:

• caries at various stages, pulpitis;
• abscess;
• damage to the crown or implant.

Another reason for discomfort in the facial area associated with dental problems is increased tooth sensitivity. In this case, acute short-term pain occurs when touching the teeth, inhaling cold air, taking hot, cold, spicy, salty, sweet or sour drinks and food [1]. Sharp pain in the teeth while eating or drinking, when brushing your teeth, or even some time later can spread to the jaw area.

Other symptoms of dental damage:

• increased constant discomfort when pressing on the surface of the teeth;
• throbbing pain radiating to the cheeks, temple, ear.

Recent dental procedures

This group includes cases where discomfort is associated with previous dental procedures. These include:

• ultrasonic or mechanical teeth cleaning;
• teeth whitening;
• treatment of deep carious cavities, pulpitis;
• removal of a tooth;
• implantation, etc.

Gum diseases

Inflammatory diseases such as gingivitis and periodontitis cause serious damage to the gums. Gingivitis is accompanied by a feeling of discomfort, swelling and bleeding of the gums, and periodontitis can lead to loosening and even loss of teeth. Inflammation of periodontal tissue is accompanied by severe pain in the affected area, including the jaw [3].

Periostitis

Sharp, severe, sometimes throbbing pain in the jaw can be a sign of inflammation of the periosteum, or periostitis.

Temporomandibular joint dysfunction

This disorder is one of the most common causes of facial pain (5–12%) [1] not related to dental problems. The fact is that the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) has a very complex structure. It is formed by the head of the lower jaw and the articular surface of the temporal bone. In this case, the left and right joints perform their functions synchronously.

The joint is strengthened by the articular capsule, ligaments and muscles. Any disruption in the mobility of the system of muscles, ligaments, cartilage and bones leads to dysfunction of the TMJ (disruption of normal functioning) and possible pain in the jaw on both one and both sides [1]. A characteristic sign of TMJ dysfunction is that when you open your mouth, you hear a click and your jaw hurts.

Main symptoms [4]:

• pain in the jaw joint;
• discomfort in the ears, face;
• constant headaches;
• tinnitus;
• dizziness;
• vision problems.

Bruxism

Bruxism is an unconscious or involuntary contraction of the jaw muscles, causing severe clenching and friction of the teeth to the characteristic grinding sound.

This phenomenon is not a disease in the literal sense. Bruxism is a symptom of a fairly large group of disorders, from partial absence of teeth or malocclusion to stress and psychological tension.

This phenomenon occurs at any age, but in approximately 50% of cases it occurs in children. According to various estimates, about 5-20% of people suffer from it. There are nocturnal and daytime bruxism [4].

“During physiological chewing, the teeth of the upper and lower jaw are in contact for 25-30 minutes in 12 hours.
With night bruxism, the teeth can be in contact for 40 minutes per hour" "Formation mechanisms and pathogenetic principles of treatment of bruxism", Doctor of Medical Sciences. Gaidarova T.A.

Main symptoms:

• discomfort in the facial muscles in the morning;
• pain in the lower jaw due to overexertion or damage to muscles and ligaments;
• during sleep - sounds of grinding, rubbing of teeth;
• cracks and chips of enamel [5].

Trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia refers to cases where the jaw hurts due to reasons not related to dental disorders or bone tissue pathologies. This is a chronic disease that affects the trigeminal nerve and can cause discomfort of varying degrees of intensity in the area of ​​innervation (face, teeth, eyes, tongue, upper and lower jaw, etc.) [2].

The main symptoms are attacks of sharp, cutting, burning pain in certain areas of the face [2]:

• in the forehead, brow ridges, temple - with damage to the first branch of the nerve;
• in the area of ​​the upper lip, nose, cheekbones, upper jaw - with damage to the second branch of the nerve;
• in the area of ​​the lower lip, chin, lower teeth, tongue, lower jaw - with damage to the third branch of the nerve.

Discomfort can be significantly aggravated by talking, touching the face or teeth, chewing food, or contact of teeth with food or a toothbrush [2].

Injury

Bruises of the soft tissues of the face, damage to the bones of the facial skull or the temporomandibular joint (dislocations, fractures) cause unpleasant sensations, including pain in the lower and upper jaws, as well as discomfort of varying degrees of intensity [6]. Such injuries are accompanied by redness, bruising, and swelling [2].

Systemic diseases

With a number of general somatic disorders and diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, mumps, heart attack and others, patients complain that their jaw hurts on the right or left.

For example, one of the symptoms of a heart attack [7] and other acute conditions of the cardiovascular system may be referred pain in the jaw on the left side. With swelling of the salivary glands that accompanies mumps (the so-called “mumps”), the jaw often ache in the area of ​​inflammation [6]. With rheumatoid arthritis, joints, including the temporomandibular joint, may swell, which causes pain in the jaw and discomfort when opening and closing the mouth [6].

What can you do before visiting the clinic?

Our dentists' recommendations will help you temporarily reduce discomfort.

• Wet a terry towel with cold water and apply it to the swollen cheek for 10-15 minutes. This compress will reduce pain and swelling.
• Do not heat the sore spot under any circumstances. Do not sleep on this side, do not tie it with a scarf, or apply a heating pad. Is it dangerous!
• Take a small dose of pain reliever. If it doesn't help, drink again after a few hours.
• Regular rinsing with warm infusions of sage, elecampane or valerian helps a lot.
• If your temperature rises, you can take an antipyretic. The medicine didn’t help, but the swelling and fever are increasing? Call an ambulance immediately!

Pre-medical measures

If your cheek hurts, before visiting the dentist you can take some measures to alleviate the condition:

• Apply ice, a cold compress, or a bandage to the affected area;
• Take an analgesic;
• Rinse your mouth 3-4 times a day with a warm solution of antiseptic drugs, a salt solution or a decoction of herbs that have an anti-inflammatory effect.

Under no circumstances should you apply warm compresses to the painful area, as this may trigger the onset of a purulent process. You should also not take antibiotics without a doctor's prescription.

To prevent cheek pain, you should practice good oral hygiene. During the cold season, it is important to keep your face warm, as hypothermia can cause sinusitis and other inflammatory diseases of the ear, nose and throat.

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Other reasons

In some cases, the fact that there is no pain, but the cheek is still swollen, can be caused by the following phenomena:

1. Diseases associated with neurology, in which, in addition to changes in appearance, symptoms such as sore throat and congestion in the ears are noted. In such a situation, it is better to seek help from a neurologist.
2. Swelling of the cheeks can be explained by the accumulation of a significant amount of water in the body, which can be a sign of serious problems in the functioning of certain organs.
3. The development of an infectious process to eliminate which the doctor will prescribe the patient to take antibiotic drugs.
4. The occurrence of a sebaceous cyst, which may require surgical intervention.
5. Injuries suffered.

Incorrect treatment

Quite common explanations for the development of swelling on the cheek inside the mouth include:

1. The manifestation of an allergic reaction caused by the body’s high sensitivity to some components of dental materials used in the treatment. As a result, a situation often arises when the tooth does not hurt, but the cheek is swollen. In this case, the dentist will be forced to unfill the treated tooth and redo the work using hypoallergenic materials.
2. Sometimes it happens that the tooth does not bother, but the cheek is swollen even after the nerve is removed. This circumstance can be explained by the fact that sometimes the dental canal is located in such a way that the doctor cannot go through it to the end. In this case, after the procedure, a small piece of the nerve remains in it or it is not completely healed. If you ignore this condition, the patient risks losing a tooth.
3. An incision on the gum made by the dentist in order to allow the accumulated purulent infiltrate to come out can lead to the fact that the tooth does not bother the patient at all, and the cheek is swollen. This condition will be observed during the first day after the manipulation.

If, due to existing dental problems, the following signs appear, you should immediately attend an appointment with a dentist:

• an increase in the size of the tumor in the mouth, indicating an increase in the inflammatory process;
• if the affected area in the oral cavity continues to hurt and the pain tends to intensify day by day;
• a feeling of fullness in the swollen area on the inside of the cheek, an increase in body temperature.