26.11.2019
Many patients have itchy gums after tooth extraction. This is a dental problem, which is a fairly common consequence of surgery. The phenomenon occurs quite often in both adults and children. The operation can lead to other consequences, which will also be described in this article.
Correct oral care after tooth extraction
When dental problems arise, the dentist treating a person may recommend removing one or more affected teeth that cannot be restored. This operation is considered a minor surgical procedure. It is important to know not only how to properly prepare for it, but also what to do immediately after the operation. Of course, you can get more detailed recommendations from your doctor, but there are certain tips that will help the damaged gum heal faster and prevent gum scratching after tooth extraction.
Taking painkillers
If the doctor left a cotton-gauze swab in the tooth socket, then check exactly when it can be removed from the oral cavity. Thanks to this tampon, the wound heals faster. To get a positive result, you should not pull it out earlier than the dentist advises.
When the anesthetic drugs stop working, quite severe pain and discomfort may occur in the injured area of the oral cavity. Most dentists allow you to take painkillers, but you should check in advance which remedy will be most effective in your situation.
It must be remembered that even a simple tooth extraction is quite a lot of stress for the human body. That is why experts advise forgetting about strong physical activity at least for a few days. It’s better to rest a little these couple of days so that the body has time to recover from a stressful situation.
If the doctor does not give other advice, then you will be able to perform your usual regular oral hygiene within 24 hours after the operation. Remember that you need to brush your teeth carefully, especially in the place where the damaged hole is located and near it. Especially if your gums itch after tooth extraction. It is advisable to add socket rinsing to regular teeth cleaning and additionally use antiseptic agents. Rinsing and brushing teeth are allowed one day after surgery.
Proper oral care, especially after surgery, is very important. Bacteria or infections can enter an open wound, so it’s worth making sure they don’t have a chance.
If you notice that the gums are very swollen, suppuration has begun, or the wound is dry, the itching is too strong, then you should immediately seek advice from a specialist. The same should be done if severe pain occurs that does not go away after a long time after the operation.
Itchy gums with bruxism
Sometimes the gums become itchy between the teeth due to bruxism. This is due to increased stress on the teeth, which results in receding gums and exposure of the roots of the teeth.
To the question: “What to do if an adult’s gums itch during bruxism?”, one can answer unequivocally: “Immediately contact an orthopedic dentist and have mouth guards installed.” These mouth guards are worn before bed to reduce dental trauma.
Article expert (author):
Likely consequences
In addition to the fact that the gums may begin to itch after the removal of a wisdom tooth and other teeth, there is the possibility of other consequences of dental surgery. Even a minor surgical intervention has many features that must be taken into account. Initially, it is worth understanding why the gums itch after tooth extraction. Also an important topic for discussion are the factors that provoke the appearance of various disorders. Today, there are several main factors that provoke itching of the gums and other ailments after the removal of a diseased tooth.
Damage to the mucous membrane
If a person consumes a lot of very hot or cold food, spicy dishes, drinks, then various types of injuries, ulcers, and erosions can form in the oral cavity. This also occurs due to fairly intensive brushing of teeth or incorrect, very careless actions of the dentist who carried out the treatment. This occurs especially often after one or more teeth have been removed. The cause in this situation is damage to the gums, so the gums very often itch after tooth extraction during healing.
Allergy - itchy gums
If a person says that his gums are very itchy, this is not always evidence of a serious illness. A similar process can occur when taking any food products (chocolate, dyes, citrus fruits, spices, honey, etc.), or as a side effect when using toothpaste. In this case, it is better to stop consuming allergens or replace the toothpaste.
Often, an adult's gums itch when taking certain medications in contact with the mucous membrane. This is due to the rapid entry of mediators and allergens into the blood.
Diseases of an inflammatory or infectious nature
This group of reasons includes the development of dental pathologies such as gingivitis, stomatitis, periodontitis, and candidiasis. Diseases occur due to the rapid proliferation of pathogenic microflora of various types. Also, a factor that provokes the appearance of pathology may be improper oral care.
Quite often you may encounter the fact that along with the development of an inflammatory or infectious disease, bleeding appears, the gums become very sensitive to various irritants, and a very unpleasant odor appears from the mouth. For this reason, the gums may itch after tooth extraction.
Symptoms of alveolitis of the socket
Alveolitis goes through several stages of development, each of which has its own clinical picture:
| Stage | Description |
| Serous inflammation | The first clinical symptoms appear the next day or after 3 - 4 days after surgery. Non-purulent inflammation is manifested by the appearance of episodic pain and swelling of the soft tissues around the alveoli. |
| Purulent alveolitis | If measures were not taken at the previous stage, a purulent process develops within a few days. The pain becomes constant, radiating to the auricle, jaw, and neighboring teeth. The infection spreads to nearby lymph nodes, causing them to enlarge. A gray-green coating appears inside the hole. The temperature rises. |
| Purulent-necrotic stage | The pain intensifies and becomes throbbing. A putrid odor appears from the mouth. Progression leads to disruption of microcirculation, ischemia, and the development of necrosis. The patient’s health deteriorates significantly, and signs of intoxication appear. |
| Hypertrophic tissue change | Lack of medical intervention within 14 days leads to chronicity of the process. Soreness and swelling become less pronounced. Soft tissues grow and fill the hole. When pressure is applied to the granulation, pus is released. The mucous membrane is swollen, bluish in color. |
If left untreated, alveolitis has an unfavorable outcome. The main complications after alveolitis:
- phlegmon (extensive purulent inflammation);
- acute periostitis (inflammatory process of the periosteum);
- osteomyelitis (purulent-necrotic inflammation of the jaw bone);
- sepsis (purulent-septic blood disease).
Leukoplakia
This disease is characterized by a special condition, which, as a rule, appears immediately before the development of oncology. In this case, leukoplakia can manifest itself not only as very severe itching in the gum area. Other symptoms also occur: a feeling of numbness, white spots and a dense coating form on the affected area of the gums or oral cavity. Almost all patients suffering from leukoplakia complain about this. In most cases, the disease affects people who have a long history of smoking and smoke more than a pack of cigarettes per day.
Inflammatory processes in the gum area - another reason to think
One of the main causes of itchy gums in adults is associated with chronic gingivitis. As a result, the patient may experience the following adverse events:
- Bad breath;
- Bleeding occurs during hygiene procedures;
- The appearance of redness and swelling in the gum area;
- Cyanosis.
If itching in the teeth and gums is a consequence of periodontitis, then in addition to the above symptoms, the following may occur:
- Exposure of tooth roots;
- Discharge of pus from periodontal pockets;
- The appearance of mobility of dental units.
Itchy gums with periodontitis and gingivitis. What to do?
Initially, you need to contact an experienced periodontist. Since inflammatory processes in the gum area are caused by poor oral hygiene, which results in the appearance of various deposits on the surface of the teeth and gums. This allows you to get a clear answer to the question: “Why do my gums itch, hurt and bleed?”
This means that the main treatment procedures will be aimed at removing plaque and deposits from the surface of the teeth. Subsequently, therapy is prescribed, including the use of anti-inflammatory drugs (rinsing with antiseptic solutions, gel applications, etc.). That is, if itching of the gums occurs in adults, first of all you need to eliminate the causes, and only then begin treatment. Otherwise, anti-inflammatory measures will be ineffective.
Allergic reaction
The most common cause of itching of the gums after tooth extraction and discomfort in the oral cavity can be called a direct allergic reaction. It can occur not only due to medications that were used during tooth extraction, but also due to food products, stabilizers, preservatives, and dyes that they contain. Sometimes allergies occur due to improperly selected hygiene products or household chemicals that somehow got onto the oral mucosa.
Itching in the gums can occur due to poor-quality prosthetics
If removable dentures are installed, the cause of discomfort may be allergization of the body. This is due to the presence of a monomer in the prosthesis, which can cause an allergic reaction.
If your gums and teeth itch after fixing bridges and crowns, this may be due to galvanosis of the oral cavity. This may be due to the use of crowns made of a variety of metals. In such situations, both artificial boxes and removable structures must be urgently replaced.
Itchy gums after tooth extraction: how to treat
The gums can itch for a variety of reasons; therefore, today there is no single treatment regimen approved by dentists.
Initially, you need to remove all those factors that can provoke the development of a particular pathology. Also visit the dentist to eliminate plaque, sources that injure the gums and mucous membrane of the oral cavity, foci of inflammation or infection. To eliminate itching of the gums, you can use antihistamines, antibiotics, and oral disinfectants. Before starting use, you should definitely consult with your dentist so that he can select the most suitable means, having previously established the causes of such a problem as itching of the gums after tooth extraction. Category: Tooth extraction Published by Mister stomatolog
