Gum swelling is not necessarily periodontal disease. Gum is the "monitoring officer" of dental health. Many people know that bleeding from brushing teeth is an early warning signal of periodontal disease, that is, gingivitis. You'd better see a doctor at once. But some people don't bleed when they brush their teeth, but their gums are swollen, which hurts a little when they press them. I don't know what's wrong with them now.
Yin, the attending physician of the Department of Stomatology, Renai Hospital, Taipei United Hospital, said that periodontal disease is actually "painless". Although it can cause gum inflammation, it rarely directly hurts nerves, so it doesn't mean that teeth are healthy without pain. Conversely, it is not that the gums will be painful or swollen, but it must be periodontal disease.
It takes 4 tricks to judge periodontal disease! red
The red color here represents two meanings, one is the color of the gums, and the other is whether the gums are bleeding. The easiest thing to judge is whether there is bleeding. Yin said that any gum bleeding is abnormal, even if only a little or a few drops of blood come out, it shows that periodontal disease is unhealthy.
Usually healthy gums will be pink, and other colors besides pink may represent abnormal lesions. It is best to look at the color of gums when brushing your teeth every day. If it is different from the day before, or if there are several places different from other parts of the gums, you'd better pay attention.
For example, the gums become bright red or even purple that looks bruised, indicating that the tissue is congested and swollen, which belongs to an inflammatory state and is the early stage of periodontal disease; If the gums turn white, it may represent anemia, coagulation dysfunction, or oral mucosal lesions (which may be a precursor to oral cancer). It is recommended to see a dentist.
swell
In fact, it is not easy to judge whether the gums are swollen or not. Because some people are inflamed, their gums won't swell, but some people are sensitive and prone to swelling due to other factors.
Yin said, for example, malocclusion, often hitting the gums, or wisdom teeth (impacted teeth) squeezing normal teeth may make the gums swell. Others will have swollen gums due to endocrine disorders. "Because estrogen and androgen can make the gums swell, it is easy for the gums to swell the next day after staying up late. 」
Although there is only simple gingival swelling without symptoms such as redness, swelling, pain and suppuration, it is not considered as periodontal disease, but if the gingival swelling lasts for too long, 1 or 2 weeks, or it is repeated, it is recommended to see a dentist to find out the real reason.
soft
The reason why teeth can stay in the periodontal area is because of alveolar bone. So when we press the gum, it feels hard, as if there is a base. However, if the periodontal injury is serious and the alveolar bone is lost, the gums will become soft and feel as if the bottom is empty.
And if you look closely, you will feel that your teeth seem to be getting longer. In fact, it is because of the loss of alveolar bone, which leads to gingival atrophy. If you don't go to the dentist soon, you will soon enter the next step of "tooth loss".
loose
When the alveolar bone cannot support the teeth, it means that the teeth lose their base and become loose. When you pull it out by hand, you will feel that your teeth can shake, much like the feeling of changing teeth.
At this time, there is usually no way to keep teeth, but if you don't go to the doctor quickly, bacteria may continue to invade and run into the blood to cause sepsis; Or because the alveolar bone is completely lost, the gums have shrunk greatly, and finally even dentures can't be made.
Yin reminded that brushing your teeth seriously is the foundation of life. When brushing your teeth, you should also pay attention to cleaning the gap between your gums and teeth. But the gap is really not so easy to clean, so it is recommended to see a dentist once every six months to do a comprehensive oral cleaning and cleaning, in order to protect the periodontal.