Attention is naturally paid to how your teeth look most if not all of the time. What is equally important is your gums as well. Your gums are also an important part of your oral health. The gum tissue is full of blood vessels that anchor your teeth and protect them from damage. Your gums can also be damaged if, for example, bacteria continue to penetrate around your teeth causing tooth decay.
Tooth decay causes your gums to recede, meaning they move back from your teeth and leaves them open for bacteria to penetrate in and around the gums, causing swelling and inflammation.
Swollen gums can cause irritation, sensitivity and can be just very painful sometimes.
If you experience swollen gums, consider the below options to reduce swollen gums.
Brush Your Teeth Twice A Day
Brushing your teeth twice a day, when you wake up and before you go to sleep will help reduce gum swelling. Without practising this every day, bacteria forms into dental plaque, which is what causes your gums to become swollen. Ensure you brush your teeth gently when the bristles touch your gums.
Saltwater Rinse
Using a saltwater rinse helps to reduce gum inflammation and swelling. They are also very useful to simulate wounds. Consider using one teaspoon of salt in 1 glass of warm water. The salt needs to dissolve before you swish the mixture inside the mouth before spitting it out. Perform this at least three times in the day.
Avoid Alcohol And Tobacco
Both alcohol and tobacco can irritate your gums, and it is important that you avoid both of them. This is also the case if you’ve recently had dental treatment such as wisdom tooth removal and managing a blood clot.
Warm And Cold Compresses
Cold compresses have always been helpful to reduce swelling for a variety of dental treatments. You can also apply a warm compress. Simply hold the warm or cold compress against the affected area on the outside of your mouth for a period of 10 minutes on and off throughout the day.
Turmeric Gel
Turmeric contains something known as curcumin, which contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Studies find that turmeric gel can prevent dental plaque and gingivitis. Gingivitis is what causes gum swelling. After brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth and then apply turmeric gel to your gums for a period of 10 minutes. Swish your mouth with water to remove the gel. Do this regularly (at least twice a day) until the swelling reduces.
Check out our in-depth article about healing Gingivitis, a gum disease.
You can also get in touch with our Dentist Hornsby Team at Piazza Dental if you feel your swollen gums haven’t gone down and continue to get progressively worse. Getting a professional opinion is very worthwhile so that the right measures can be put in place to get the swelling down. Get in touch with us here for an appointment.
