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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Swelling On The Gums?

Hi, I ve had swelling of the flap of gum over my erupting wisdom tooth and it s been very sore, I actually gt so annoyed with the swelling that I squeezed the gum and pus came out. I have read up about Perocornitis(?) and it matches the description but nothing tells me if popping it causes more damage. I m calling my dentist tomorrow ( I live in England so it is about 10pm on a sunday) but I just wanted to get some quick advice.
Mon, 24 Apr 2017
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Dentist,  's  Response
Hi..
Thanks for the query..

Yes, your description is clearly indicating towards infection of gum flap over the wisdom tooth leading to Pericoronitis..
It occurs when there is food debris accumulation between the gum flap and the wisdom tooth leading to bacterial overgrowth in that area causing infection and pus formation..
Popping can cause spread of infection if not done aseptically but if the swelling and pain has not got severe then you need not to worry about it..
My advise is to consult your dentist soon so that he can clean the area with antiseptic solution and a course of antibiotics and anti inflammatory painkillers like Ibuprofen and Serratiopeptidase can be advised..
Once the swelling goes down you can get an x ray of the wisdom tooth done and if it is impacted then extraction of the tooth is best option..
Also do cool compress on swelling, do warm saline gargles and take a soft diet..
Keep the area between gum flap and wisdom tooth clean to avoid further infection..

Hope this helps..
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What Causes Swelling On The Gums?

Hi.. Thanks for the query.. Yes, your description is clearly indicating towards infection of gum flap over the wisdom tooth leading to Pericoronitis.. It occurs when there is food debris accumulation between the gum flap and the wisdom tooth leading to bacterial overgrowth in that area causing infection and pus formation.. Popping can cause spread of infection if not done aseptically but if the swelling and pain has not got severe then you need not to worry about it.. My advise is to consult your dentist soon so that he can clean the area with antiseptic solution and a course of antibiotics and anti inflammatory painkillers like Ibuprofen and Serratiopeptidase can be advised.. Once the swelling goes down you can get an x ray of the wisdom tooth done and if it is impacted then extraction of the tooth is best option.. Also do cool compress on swelling, do warm saline gargles and take a soft diet.. Keep the area between gum flap and wisdom tooth clean to avoid further infection.. Hope this helps..