Reasons Why Your Gums Hurt?

Your gums are an important consideration! It's not always about how straight your teeth are or how radiant your smile is regarding oral health. Most people are unaware that something is wrong with their gums because it is typically painless. Gum pain is a common issue. Numerous conditions might result in gum pain, swelling, or bleeding. Let's discuss the reasons why your gums hurt.

Causes of Gum Pain

Aggressive brushing and flossing

Brushing and flossing are the two most vital components of good oral hygiene. However, if you brush too vigorously, especially if you're using a toothbrush with stiff, hard bristles, you risk irritating and even damaging your gums.

Use a brush with soft bristles if your gums ache after brushing. They usually clean your teeth just as effectively as a toothbrush with firm bristles, and the American Dental Association advises using a toothbrush with soft bristles. Moreover, reduce the intensity of your tooth brushing and flossing as well.

Smoking

Your gums can become damaged if you use tobacco products like cigarettes and cigars. Smoking can cause gum pain. Smokeless tobacco, such as chewing tobacco, can be considerably more harmful.

Stop using tobacco products to enhance the condition of your gums. In addition to harming the gums, they can potentially result in cancer.

Gum disease

You may have gum disease if your gums are red, swollen, and bleeding (periodontal disease). Usually, not flossing and brushing your teeth thoroughly or frequently enough causes this. Gingivitis is the most typical type of gum disease. Periodontitis is not very common but is a more severe kind.

Gingivitis can develop into periodontitis, which may result in tooth loss if it is not treated. When detected early, gingivitis is reversible with good oral hygiene. Use mouthwash, brush, and floss twice daily to relieve gum pain.

Food allergy

Your painful gums could be an allergic reaction to eating. Therefore, it is important to determine which food allergy is causing your gums to itch with an elimination diet. For this diet, you should avoid a certain food for 30 days before reintroducing it and observing the results.

Meeting with an allergist is the quickest way to identify the food or other chemical that is causing the reaction. They can assist you in determining the reason for your reaction and suggest a course of action, which almost certainly includes avoidance.

Vitamin deficiency

Proper nutrition, including adequate vitamins B and C, supports good oral health. Vitamin deficiency can result in various illnesses, including scurvy, which can produce swollen and painful gums and other symptoms.

Vitamin shortage can be treated by eating a balanced diet that satisfies daily recommendations for vitamins and minerals.

Burns

You could occasionally burn your gums on hot meals like pizza or coffee and not remember the occurrence. Later on, the burned area hurt. However, the gum tissue will usually heal in 10 days to two weeks if you don't continue to aggravate the burn with hot foods or vigorous brushing.

Infected tooth

An abscess can develop when an infection is close to the tooth root. As a result, an abscess can cause painful, swollen, and irritated gums. A root canal operation is frequently required. However, if necessary, your dentist can identify an abscess and suggest a course of action.

Hormone changes

Numerous women may experience gum issues at various stages of their life due to hormonal fluctuations, including:

• Menstruation: Some women's gums may swell and bleed more readily before each menstrual period. Usually, this issue goes away as menstruation starts.
• Pregnancy: Some women experience swollen, painful, bleeding gums beginning in the second or third month of pregnancy and lasting through the eighth month.
• Menopause: Some menopausal women experience extremely dry gums, which can cause pain and increase the risk of bleeding.

Have your dentist examine your case and make a treatment recommendation if you experience gum pain related to one of these hormonal events.

Dentures

Poorly fitting dentures cause gum irritation. Gum disease and tissue damage can be due to ongoing discomfort. However, in collaboration with your dentist, you can improve the fit of your dentures and eliminate gum pain.

Oral cancer

Oral cancer can form on your gums, inner cheek, tongue, and even tonsils, typically looking like a sore that won't heal.

Visit your dentist for a diagnosis if a sore in your mouth doesn't go away after two weeks. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery are frequently used to treat cancer to eliminate cancerous tumors or cells.

Conclusion

There are various causes of gum pain, but many can be avoided by leading a healthy lifestyle that includes good oral hygiene.

Therefore, make an appointment with your dentist for a complete diagnosis and treatment advice if you experience gum sores, swelling, or pain lasting more than a few weeks.

Contact your Pinole dentist, Dr. Hoss Abar, DDS, MSD at Abar Orthodontics, to know about the reasons why your gums hurt.

Resource:

6 Ways To Keep Your Gums Healthy.

This media/content or any other on this website does not prescribe, recommend, or prevent any treatment or procedure. Therefore, we highly recommend that you get the advice of a qualified dentist or other medical practitioners regarding your specific dental condition.