Frequently Asked Questions

Hello, can you advise me on a persistent gum problem? I damaged a small area of gum behind and between my two upper front teeth (while eating)about two months ago. Some of the skin covering the gum got scraped away, leaving a raw surface underneath. This made the gum swell and bleed and it was painful to eat. All the rest of my gums are in good condition. I couldn't see my hygienist until a month later. She cleaned and scaled my teeth and gave me some Chlorhexidine gel to put on the damaged gum every evening for four days. I did this and have also kept up brushing and flossing, but now, two weeks later, this damaged gum is still hurting, still bleeding (even spontaneously after a night's sleep!) and doesn't react to any antibacterial mouthwashes. Do you have any suggestions on how I can get the gum to heal? Do you think that salt-water mouth rinses could help, or any specific product? Why is it so difficult to get this to heal? (My hygienist seemed to think that this was a very small problem, but I'm worried about this inflammation and bleeding and fed up with the pain!) Many thanks for your advice.

I would consider two things. First is the more likely. Are you brushing and flossing so much in an effort to help it heal that the tissue has not had a chance to heal?
The second thought is that it is not related to an accident eating, but is really a vitamin deficiency and you just noticed it at the time of eating and related the two instances together. A persistent soreness could be a vitamin deficiency. If these two solutions fail to help, you might consider a biopsy of the area to make sure no cellular changes have occured that might lead to more serious problems.

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