Infected Gums

[Nikie]

Hello all....I've got an impacted wisdom tooth which the dentist isn't particularly worried about. It was a bit infected previously and I took painkillers and mouthwash for a couple of weeks and it calmed down. This was pre pregnancy!

Over the last couple of days it's flared up again....my gum around the tooth is inflamed and sore. I have been googling and terrifying myself with infection stories I have good oral health generally and already have my regular check up booked in for July 14th.

Has anyone else suffered from this whilst pregnant? Looking for reassurance really!

Xx

 

[mazndave]

With my last pregnancy I had an abscess on my gum twice. I was told not to take paracetamol for more than 3 days in a row, but both times I was given antibiotics. I was also told to swill warm salty water around the area a few times a day, as that helps draw out any pus (sorry that sounds gross!) If I were you though I'd get booked in before your normal checkup, mine got worse quite quickly and the pain became unbearable without being able to take ibuprofen.

 

[ElmaWG]

I had this last pregnancy. I had no dental insurance, and didn't see the dentist...though I would have if it had gotten much worse.

As PP said, I also did salt rinses. It's pretty effective at fighting the infection, though not as much as antibiotics of course. I would use very warm water so I could dissolve as much salt as possible, then rinse for at least 5 min, tilting my head so the salty water covered the whole area of the tooth, iykwim. I did this many times a day, probably at least 4. Sometimes I would also apply a salt compress, essentially just pressing salt over the area, the rinsing really well after 5 min or so.

I was also meticulous about keeping my mouth clean. I couldn't eat much anyway, which helped. I would wash my mount with a 50% hydrogen peroxide rinse (50% water) several times a day to help clear bacteria.

This routine helped clear the infection within a couple days. I've used it a few time when not pregnant too ( though ibuprofen helped then), and my husband as well. I always keep up the hydrogen peroxide rinse a few days after the infect clears to be extra safe. Hope this helps!

 

[Nikie]

Thank you both....extremely helpful! Xxxx

 

[Caelli86]

Sounds like you've got pericoronitis which is an infecting of the gum around the wisdom tooth, it's very common. And can be treated by keeping the area clean, and some cases might need antibiotics. Buy a small single headed toothbrush or baby toothbrush and clean around it and use a antibacterial mouthwash, such as Corsodyl (UK). Warm salt water rinses can also help. If it gets really bad then antibiotics might be needed.

But if you say it's impacted, then at some point it needs extracting, to end the problem completely

Hope this subsides for you during your pregnancy . I'm a dental nurse x

 

[bitethebullet]

my gums bleed like mad when I'm pregnant but must last week I had a discreet area of redness over one tooth that hurt and bled a lot When I brushed it. I just made sure I brushed it gently and used mouthwash and it seems to have cleared up. I have no fillings And pretty good teeth yet my mouth goes to bits when I'm pregnant!

 

[Caelli86]

I'm a dental nurse so my oral hygiene is immaculate but even my gums go to bits when I'm pregnant, it's all to do with the hormones and increased blood flow , as long as you clean well , it will do no harm and will settle after giving birth.