How to Prevent Inflamed Gums?!


Question: How to Prevent Inflamed Gums?
Once in a while my gum in the back of my mouth becomes inflamed and bothers me. I know what they do when I go to the dentist for it because I have had it done before. I was wondering about a good home remedy to use to keep my gums healthy on a daily basis, not just when they get inflamed.

Answers:

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To keep gums in general healthy requires keeping them as well as the tooth surfaces clean by flossing between each tooth to clean out the food debris left behind in the spaces and to clean the touching sides of the teeth. After flossing, brush the cheek/lip sides of all your teeth, then the tongue sides and then the chewing surfaces (of the back teeth) using a flouride-containing toothpaste to help remineralise any affected tooth surfaces.
You say that your particular gum problem is at the back of your mouth and that it is a recurring problem. This sounds like you might have a partially erupted back molar tooth that still has a flap of gum lurking over part of the back of it (which is called an operculum) and which can act like a type of "rubbish bin lid" that gets food and plaque accumulating under it. This "rubbish"" then rots and cause inflammation in the gum which can cause bad tastes, bad breath, pain and even pus causing pressure pain as it builds up. Dentists first try flushing the area out and even giving antibiotics to clear up infection if it has gotten bad, but eventually either the tooth has to be able to finish erupting fully into the mouth and into a suitable position to be able to be kept adequately cleaned, or it has to be extracted (if it can't ever fit into your mouth in a properly cleanable way).
If the tooth can be expected to fit into the mouth properly and be able to be reached to be cleaned adequately but the gum flap just won't wear away quickly enough to avoid these episodes of infection and discomfort, then the gum flap itself can be removed easily with a little local anaesthetic and a scalpel without actually having to remove the tooth. This procedure is called an operculectomy and is much cheaper and less painful than extracting the tooth but is only of use if the tooth can end up in a good, cleanable position.
I would advise finding out which one(s) of your wisdom teeth exist and whether it might be better in your particular case to go through having them out instead of mucking around endlessly with this and then similar problems in the other back corners of your mouth later on. You don't say how old you are or any other individual information about your health or your dental condition to be able to fully advise you here, but I hope this information is of help to you.
Salt mixed up in lukewarm water is as good and cheap a mouth rinse for this as anything else but the condition needs to be properly diagnosed (probably with x-rays) to properly treat it (it's no good living on antibiotics if your face swells up with a bad attack of this sort of thing over and over again).

Retired dentist




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