Gum Infection Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore
Oral hygiene is more important than just having a nice smile. The overall health of your teeth and gums is directly related to other aspects of your physical health, and gum infection symptoms can lead to larger problems.
Poor oral health can not only impact your mental health, but it will also influence your physical health as problems lead to disease and gum infections. Be sure to see a dentist regularly to check on your oral health and study the following symptoms of gum disease and infections to keep yourself safe.
It's also important to talk to your dentist about the stages of gum disease, so you can spot symptoms and get treatment before things get worse.
Bad Breath
Everyone has periods where their breath doesn’t seem as fresh as they would like. When you wake in the morning, eat some pungent foods, or are slightly dehydrated, your breath can suffer. This bad breath is typical.
The kind of bad breath linked to gum disease is different, though. It is unrelenting and always present, even if you just finished brushing, flossing, and gargling.
Sometimes people can detect their own bad breath, but other times they need trusted friends and family members to notice the smell.
Discolored or Puffy Gums
How are your gums looking?
Healthy gums should be a rich, pink color with bands of red. If your gums are a deep red, purple, brown, or black, it could be a sign of gum disease.
The color of your gums is important, and so is the texture. Healthy gums should have some give when you push on them but spring back to form.
Unhealthy gums will appear puffy or swollen, especially after eating, brushing, and flossing. They can stay puffy for extended periods before returning to normal, or in the worst situations, they remain swollen constantly.
Bleeding or Painful Gums
Now that you know how your gums should look, how should they feel? Remember, it is not normal to have consistent pain in your teeth or gums. Any pain lasting for more than a few hours should be inspected by a dental professional.
Bleeding gums is another sign of gum disease or infection but discerning the difference between normal, typical bleeding and abnormal, excessive bleeding can be challenging. As a standard, some amount of bleeding during flossing or brushing is common.
If you have dark, red blood in your spit or bleeding unrelated to brushing/flossing, there could be a problem with your oral health. Track your bleeding and seek out professional care if the situation continues.
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Receding Gums
You have been studying your gums to note issues with their color and texture. Now, pay attention to their relationship to the tooth.
Are yours moving up towards the tip of your tooth, or are they receding towards the root? Commonly with gum disease and infection, the gums will shrink and move towards the root and jawline.
This process can cause increased discomfort as the nerve becomes exposed to food, drink, and the air. It is not easy to measure your gums, so do your best to look often and notice the subtle changes to the location of your gums.
Pain and Sensitivity When Eating
When you have gum infections or disease, your gums might hurt when you floss and brush, but your teeth may hurt when you eat also. If you have noticed more tooth pain, you could have gum infections.
Pain is an obvious sign where increased sensitivity might be harder to notice. Cold or hot foods and drinks can bother people with gum infections leading to reducing or eliminating these from their diets.
These signs are important to note because sometimes the other signs and symptoms of gum infections are difficult to visualize. If the gum disease is happening far below the surface, there may be few visual symptoms, so you will need to rely on the sensation of pain to tell you something is wrong.
Loose Teeth
As the infection or disease progresses, the gum infection symptoms become more obvious. If your teeth are beginning to feel loose or if one mysteriously falls out, get in touch with a dentist, since you likely have a gum infection.
It is not normal for your teeth to become loose naturally. Any time your permanent teeth wiggle or don’t seem to be fitting together as well as they did, something is wrong, and it needs your immediate attention.
Fever and Drainage
Gum disease may trigger the above symptoms, but only gum infections can cause a fever. As the infection spreads from your gums, your body will work hard to fight the infection by increasing the temperature.
Likewise, you may also notice pus coming from gums if you have an infection. These symptoms indicate the gum disease is progressing to a more serious point.
If you have pus or a fever related to your gum infection, you need medical treatment as soon as possible. Your medical professional may offer an antibiotic to fight the infection and restore your health.
Once the situation clears, be sure to follow up with a dentist to learn how to avoid similar issues in the future.
