Swollen Gums Can Lead To Painful Experience

There are few worse feelings than waking up to feel your tongue brush up against gums much larger than they were when you went to bed. But, it always seems swollen gums happen when you are sleeping. This can occur even if you have a solid history of good dental care. There can be many things causing the gums to swell without notice. But, some of the most common are having food particles stuck between the gum and a tooth, as well as a build-up of plaque in your mouth.

Plaque is a thin film of bacteria tending to harden on the surface of your teeth. It usually collects below the gum line, out of reach from the bristles of your toothbrush. Even flossing regularly may not remove all of the plaque. When rinsing does not get rid of all of the bacteria, it is allowed to grow into plaque. If left alone, it can quickly turn into a gum infection.

A large percentage of people suffer from some sort of gum disease. However, few take any steps beyond their usual dental care program to combat it. Many will suffer the early stages of gingivitis (the first stage of gum disease) without taking any additional measures to kill the infection. Left on its own, gingivitis can turn into a more powerful form of gum disease. This includes conditions such as periodontitis or pyorrhea and even manila. Catching gingivitis early makes it treatable without leaving any lasting problems.

When gum disease goes without being treated, it can result in gums that swell so large they actually hide the teeth. The gums can protrude between the teeth, filling the usually narrow space with tissue resulting in severe pain. Continuing to ignore the swollen gums can result in them bleeding from the slightest pressure of even the softest bristles on a toothbrush.

In some instances, the swollen gums can push through the sides of larger teeth. They can start forcing their way under any fillings in the teeth, causing them to become dislocated and leading to even more pain. Swollen gums should be treated for what they are. They are a symptom something is not right inside the mouth. By treating the underlying cause of swollen gums, additional medical problems can be avoided. Any infection currently living in the mouth can be killed before it is allowed to roam free in the bloodstream.

The build up of plaque under the gum line can quickly spread into the blood and is one of the potential causes of heart attacks and strokes. Many cardiologists consider dental health a major part of overall health. This is especially true if a large build up of plaque is present. They rightly point out it has the same affect on the heart vessels as plaque from other known sources and needs to be dealt with before it causes death.