Our gums are sensitive, soft tissues that are easily cut or harmed. They also bleed quickly, so even little abrasions may lead you to bleed. When blood and saliva combine, it can be a lot, but it is unlikely to be as big as you think. In this article, we will cover how to treat gum bruises or injuries and when to seek emergency dental care.
Ways to treat a gum injury
Gum injuries are unpredictable, and immediate treatment is required to prevent mouth infections, tooth challenges, or other complications, such as an infection around a tooth’s root. If you have hurt your gums, you should do a few things right away to avoid more severe issues.
-
First Aid
Gum wounds do not bleed heavily, although the bleeding may appear worse than it is when blood interacts with saliva. If you have any type of injury like this, you should try washing your mouth with a mild saline solution. You may try a solution of water and mild soap to clean the wound if it is visible. If you are unable to do that, you can try washing again after removing any foreign objects.
-
Immediately rinse your mouth.
A gum injury may result in a cut, bruise, or tear; all of these can get infected with bacteria found in the mouth. Dissolve a tablespoon of salt in a cup of water, then thoroughly rinse your mouth. This will hurt, but it will also lower the possibility of infection. Rinse multiple times to see if the bleeding has stopped.
-
Apply pressure on the wound.
Your gums are delicate tissue that bleeds abundantly when injured. However, if the bleeding does not stop after you rinse your mouth, you should apply massage to help stanch the bleeding. Clean gauze is an excellent choice. Fold the gauze into a square and sandwich it between the injured gum and the outside of your mouth or tongue. If you can apply enough pressure, clean your hands, then utilize a finger to press the gauze on the wound tightly.
-
Ice the area.
Pain and swelling are likely to start coming in at this point, so apply a cold compress to the affected area. This should be done as close to the injury as possible, on the outer side of your mouth. Place a piece of cloth between your skin and the ice. Avoid using pain medication until after you visit a dentist to receive expert care for your gum injury.
-
Professional help
The emergency dentist will make every effort to locate the abscess and administer the appropriate treatment when the patient visits. The typical course of treatment is to remove the pus and fluid, clean the infected site carefully, and handle the infection. LANAP, a periodontal laser therapy that uses PerioLase to treat gum infections, is one of the finest procedures that cosmetic dentists might use.
How will you treat your cracked tooth?
A tooth crack or break can cause terrible pain. It is still essential to visit a dentist as soon as possible, even if you are not in any pain, so your dentist can help with minimizing pain. They might also be able to avoid tooth decay or an infection of the pulp inside your tooth.
If these problems are not dealt with right away, they continue to grow worse. Broken teeth are usually fixable by:
- Repairing the fractured tooth piece
- Replacing the chipped tooth with a crown
- Performing a root canal
- Executing an extraction (in the case that the tooth’s nerves and root sustain significant damage)
Conclusion
Although it is not easy to prevent every tooth fracture, you can lower your risk of suffering from one by not biting ice or hard foods, practicing proper dental hygiene, and using a mouth guard to prevent teeth grinding at night or during sports.
