Risks

These risk factors increase the probability of gum pain:

Frequent consumption of alcohol and nicotine
Mouth breathing
Immunodeficiency
Pregnancy
Frequent consumption of sweet and sour food
Stress

Therapy

Therapy for pain in the gum area is primarily determined by the underlying disease. Depending on the cause of the complaints, the necessary treatment is more or less extensive. Therapy for gingivitis with pain in the gums usually begins with a general prophylaxis session.

During this session, special staining procedures are used to show the affected patient where oral hygiene should be optimized. This is followed by learning a suitable tooth brushing technique. This tooth brushing technique is adapted to the special conditions within the oral cavity of the individual patient (e.g. a crooked tooth).

Subsequently, a so-called professional tooth cleaning (PZR) can be carried out. Professional tooth cleaning represents the actual treatment of gingivitis with pain in the gum area. During the PCR every single tooth is scanned from all sides with special instruments (curettage).

In this way both soft plaque and hard tartar can be removed from the tooth surface. As an alternative to manual tooth cleaning, plaque can be removed by using a “sandblaster”. The treatment of gingivitis with pain in the gums is not covered by the health insurance.

The costs of tooth cleaning are usually only covered proportionally by the statutory health insurance companies. For this reason, the patient has to pay at least a part of the total costs himself. The price of a professional tooth cleaning is on average between 70 and 150 Euros.

The treatment of periodontitis with pain in the area of the gums corresponds in rough outlines to the therapy of a simple inflammation of the gums (gingivitis). A clear difference in the treatment of both diseases is the fact that in the case of periodontitis, professional tooth cleaning must be carried out to below the gumline. In order to ensure a thorough cleaning of the tooth surface below the gums, two different procedures can be considered.

The open and the closed curettage. In closed curettage, the same hand instruments are used as for gingivitis treatment. In order to prevent excessive pain in the gums, the gums are locally anesthetized before the treatment begins.Open periodontal therapy is performed by cleaning the tooth surface after opening and folding back the gums.

In this way, the tooth surface lying under the gumline can be seen and impurities can be removed much more effectively. However, open curettage is a method that can lead to severe trauma and associated pain in the gum area. Furthermore, there is a high risk of bleeding and infection due to the surgical opening of the gums.

If pain in the gums occurs due to pain radiating from a decayed tooth, a filling therapy should be started as soon as possible. During this treatment, the carious defects are removed with small dental drills and the affected tooth is then treated with a filling material. In cases where the carious defects reach very deep, the medullary cavity may be opened during the removal of the carious defects.

The result is irritation or, in the worst case, damage to the dental nerve fibers located in the medullary cavity. In order to prevent the development of purulent processes that can lead to severe pain in the tooth and gums, the tooth root must often be freed of nerve fibers in these cases. In dental terminology, this is known as “root canal treatment“.

Various ointments and creams are suitable for treating the symptoms at home. In general, it is very important to consult a dentist if the pain lasts longer than a week, as in many cases this means an advanced inflammation. Most creams freely available in pharmacies have analgesic and anti-inflammatory ingredients such as the oral ointment Dynexan with the anaesthetic active ingredient lidocaine.

In addition, there are many other ointments that can help individually. The creams should be applied gently to the affected areas of the mouth. Ointments can provide initial relief in the case of slight inflammation of the gums.

If an inflammation of the gums is only in its early stages, various home remedies can provide relief. To disinfect and relieve the symptoms, gargling and rinsing with chamomile tea, apple vinegar diluted in water or salt water can help. There are also various oils such as coconut oil, tea tree oil or walnut oil, which can be applied to the affected areas, sometimes mixed with water.

Sage or myrrh are also used for gum pain. However, adequate oral hygiene is one of the most important household remedies. This includes the use of interdental brushes, a suitable toothbrush, dental floss and tongue cleaners.