Tender gums with no bleeding or swelling?
December 31, 2014 7:19 PM Subscribe
tl;dr: Starting last night I suddenly began experiencing gum pain when I floss, as well as some pain when chewing on a old root canal tooth (and the flossing-induced gum pain is especially noticeable in this area). However, there is no bleeding at all and my gums look pink in the mirror. What's going on? Can it wait until my routine cleaning next week?
The long question involves me speculating wildly based on my history of (extensive) dental work. Some possibly relevant pieces of information:
- Three months ago I had pocket reduction gum surgery to treat localized periodontal disease around a back molar that had previously undergone a very deep filling and subsequent root canal/crown. I was instructed not to brush or floss that quadrant for the first few weeks of recovery, but since then I have diligently flossed and brushed every single night before bed.
- I experience some pain when chewing on the aforementioned molar, and the gum pain when flossing is most acute in that area. The root canal and filling are around 2 years old, but obviously the quadrant was disturbed more recently than that by surgery.
- Last month I had a root canal (by an endodontist) on a front tooth in the same quadrant, which also seemed to have a fine recovery. The tooth had been sensitive for a while but recently started causing active pain, which led to the specialist referral and diagnosis.
- I normally use tape floss (on disposable dental picks) and a Sonicare toothbrush with Sensodyne toothpaste. Currently for the holidays I'm visiting my parents and switched to a stiffer floss. Yesterday, when my gums started hurting when I flossed, I opened a new package of my usual silky tape floss and switched back to it.
- I have generally horrid teeth that will rot at the first sign of negligence. My dental hygiene has been consistent for the past 3 months though, after my gum surgery. I also had a routine cleaning and two comprehensive exams that probed for pocket depth; aside from two specific areas that rated for periodontal disease, the rest were 2's and 3's. I do have a prior history of gingivitus since my teeth act up as soon as I fall off the flossing bandwagon, which I'm determined not to do this time.
The other part of my question is, what should I do now? Obviously I will continue to gently floss and brush my teeth every night. Should I brush or floss more often, or will that just irritate my gums further? I'll definitely consult my general dentist at a routine cleaning next week, but until at least Monday I'm on my own in a distant state.
The long question involves me speculating wildly based on my history of (extensive) dental work. Some possibly relevant pieces of information:
- Three months ago I had pocket reduction gum surgery to treat localized periodontal disease around a back molar that had previously undergone a very deep filling and subsequent root canal/crown. I was instructed not to brush or floss that quadrant for the first few weeks of recovery, but since then I have diligently flossed and brushed every single night before bed.
- I experience some pain when chewing on the aforementioned molar, and the gum pain when flossing is most acute in that area. The root canal and filling are around 2 years old, but obviously the quadrant was disturbed more recently than that by surgery.
- Last month I had a root canal (by an endodontist) on a front tooth in the same quadrant, which also seemed to have a fine recovery. The tooth had been sensitive for a while but recently started causing active pain, which led to the specialist referral and diagnosis.
- I normally use tape floss (on disposable dental picks) and a Sonicare toothbrush with Sensodyne toothpaste. Currently for the holidays I'm visiting my parents and switched to a stiffer floss. Yesterday, when my gums started hurting when I flossed, I opened a new package of my usual silky tape floss and switched back to it.
- I have generally horrid teeth that will rot at the first sign of negligence. My dental hygiene has been consistent for the past 3 months though, after my gum surgery. I also had a routine cleaning and two comprehensive exams that probed for pocket depth; aside from two specific areas that rated for periodontal disease, the rest were 2's and 3's. I do have a prior history of gingivitus since my teeth act up as soon as I fall off the flossing bandwagon, which I'm determined not to do this time.
The other part of my question is, what should I do now? Obviously I will continue to gently floss and brush my teeth every night. Should I brush or floss more often, or will that just irritate my gums further? I'll definitely consult my general dentist at a routine cleaning next week, but until at least Monday I'm on my own in a distant state.
(Sorry, you did cover some of what I mentioned already. I'm on my phone, so I accidentally glossed over part of that)
posted by kinddieserzeit at 7:27 PM on December 31, 2014
posted by kinddieserzeit at 7:27 PM on December 31, 2014
Response by poster: Actually on second peering, maybe my gums are swollen after all. They kind of feel swollen/weird. No hint of bleeding though, which I always had when flossing with gingivitus.
posted by serelliya at 7:34 PM on December 31, 2014
posted by serelliya at 7:34 PM on December 31, 2014
My gums get like that when I am about to get a sinus infection. Take some vitamins and drink fluids! And please keep brushing/flossing.
posted by joan_holloway at 7:43 PM on December 31, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by joan_holloway at 7:43 PM on December 31, 2014 [2 favorites]
Best answer: You're panicking. You are not going to have a gum emergency between now and your scheduled dental visit. Brush, floss and rinse with mouthwash as usual.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:01 PM on December 31, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by DarlingBri at 8:01 PM on December 31, 2014 [1 favorite]
I agree with DarlingBri - this seems unlikely to become a dental emergency between now and next week. But:
Obviously I will continue to gently floss and brush my teeth every night. Should I brush or floss more often, or will that just irritate my gums further?
It sounds like you are brushing once per day. Everyone I know brushes at least twice daily - once in the morning, once before bed, and some also brush after lunch. Did your dentist tell you to brush once a day? This seems incredibly inadequate to me.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:28 PM on December 31, 2014 [1 favorite]
Obviously I will continue to gently floss and brush my teeth every night. Should I brush or floss more often, or will that just irritate my gums further?
It sounds like you are brushing once per day. Everyone I know brushes at least twice daily - once in the morning, once before bed, and some also brush after lunch. Did your dentist tell you to brush once a day? This seems incredibly inadequate to me.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 11:28 PM on December 31, 2014 [1 favorite]
Datapoint that may or may not be relevant: I had something similar happen recently; it was a cracked root canal post that had become infected. Antibiotics for now, tooth will be removed at some point.
For that reason I lean toward seeing a dentist sooner in case it is an infection.
posted by kinetic at 5:12 AM on January 1, 2015
For that reason I lean toward seeing a dentist sooner in case it is an infection.
posted by kinetic at 5:12 AM on January 1, 2015
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Are your gums receding in that area? could it be an exposed nerve?
is it your top gums? I get sensitivity there when I have inflamed sinuses. I went to the dentist about it and confirmed that it was sinus related.
I would floss gently, use sensitive toothpaste and rinse a couple of times a day with some sea salt mixed into warm water (enough to make it taste like the sea).
posted by kinddieserzeit at 7:25 PM on December 31, 2014