Content Attributes
What causes swollen gums?
Swollen gums (gusi bengkak) can be very troublesome. This is true because it can sometimes become very severe and interfere with our daily life. It can also lead to some difficulty in using our mouth due to the pain that it can cause. Some activities that might be affected include talking, chewing, brushing your teeth, or any activity that involves the mouth. Swollen gums can be caused by a lot of different causes that differ from a range of diseases and health issues. The list below provides some common causes that can cause swollen gums.
- Brushing too hard
- Canker sores
- Any friction from medical devices such as dentures or retainers
- Gingivitis which can also cause gum bleeding
- Oral thrush (a fungal infection causing yellowish white appearances in the mouth)
- Periodontitis (a complication that arises if gingivitis is not treated adequately)
- Mouth cancer
How to treat swollen gums?
If your swollen gums develop an appearance that is related to any known disease. It is best for you to immediately meet your doctor so that you can get the best possible treatment as soon as possible. If you experience bleeding or pain, it’s highly advised to seek oral solutions from the dentist in Concord.
However, if it does not have any appearance as mentioned above, you can choose to treat it yourself. Thankfully, there are some home remedies that you can try in order to help relieve the swollen gums. Continue reading to find the common ways of treating swollen gums.
1. Warm or cold compress
To help ease the swollen gums, you can do a compression method. In order to do this, you need to have a clean cloth first. Then, you can choose whether you want to do a warm or cold compression. It is just a matter of taste. If you like a warm compress, you can dip your cloth in warm water. Then just press the cloth on the area of pain from the swollen gums such as the cheeks or lips. If you want a cold compression, you can just put some ice cubes in the cloth and do the same process.
2. Salt water rinses
Saltwater is a great home remedy. It is often used to help prevent the growth of bacteria as the salt will absorb moisture. You can use salt water to help reduce the swollen gums as well. To do this, simply add a teaspoon of salt to the hot water. Make sure it is not boiling water. Then, you can take a sip of the water and gargle it for a few seconds. Remember not to swallow the water. Do this at least twice a day until your swollen gums return back to normal.
3. Tea bags
Tea contains an ingredient called tannins. Tannins have antibacterial properties and are great in reducing swollen gums. Besides, some tea also contains anti-inflammatory properties. Some of the best tea that you can choose from includes green, hibiscus, and black tea. Just soak the tea bag in hot water as usual, then take it out. After it has cooled down, you can just apply the tea bag directly to the swollen area.
4. Turmeric
Turmeric is another food that contains antibacterial and also anti-inflammatory properties. You need to make a turmeric paste by adding turmeric powder with water. After that, apply the paste directly to the swollen site and leave it for 5 minutes. Repeat this process until your swollen gums subside.
These are some of the home remedies that you can try to do. However, if your swollen gums are still there, it is best for you to immediately meet your doctor. There might be some complex cause and careful treatment is needed.