Understanding Gum Sores

Gum sores are the kinds of oral locales that may be painful to the touch and may actually hamper the normal chewing of food. There is a variety of reasons why these sores may occur: sometimes they are the result of a blunt force trauma against the closed mouth while other times they may be associated with bacterial infections. Rarer although still possible are the gum sores brought on by medications and cancerous growths.

When gum sores may be traced back to bacterial influences, most commonly treponema pallidum is mentioned. If a virus is associated with the gum sores, more often than not the herpes, shingles, and chicken pox viruses are found to be causing the painful ulceration of the gum tissue. Yet understanding gum sores goes further than that those wearing braces or dentures frequently suffer from these sores when the tender gum tissues are aggravated by the foreign object. Interestingly, with the rise in popularity of oral piercings, the mouth jewelry worn by teens and twens is also known to cause gum sores, some of which become to extensive that they lead to a receding gum line.

In days gone by, gum sores might have been attributed to scurvy – a disease caused by an insufficient intake of vitamin C containing fruits and vegetable. Today, scurvy is exceedingly rare and more or less considered eradicated, but there are incidents when a lack of vitamin B-12, folic acid, and also an iron deficiency have been associated with the formation of gum sores, although the exact process by which the deficiencies are causing the sores is as of yet somewhat undefined. Other dietary problems that may cause sudden oral ulcerations are a heightened sensitivity to gluten and artificial sweeteners.

Understanding gum sores does not make them any less painful and there are a lot of folk remedies out there which claim to take away the pain or completely cure the ulceration. While it is advisable to be careful when using folk medicine to self medicate there are some topical applications of various substances that have been found to be soothing and do not appear to have any detrimental results.

Perhaps not surprisingly is the idea of gently swishing cow’s milk in the mouth. While the milk sugars may present a problem for those worrying about teeth and cavities, there are some enzymes in the milk which tend to cool and soothe the gum sores that might be bothering you the most or that might have gotten aggravated by spicy foods. Dentists frequently suggest baby teething gels that act like a local anesthetic and just take the edge of the pain, while others may suggest a treatment with steroids if the gum sores are extreme and severely interfere with your ability to chew foods and speak intelligibly because of the pain associated with these activities.

While the occasional gum sores are normal, those that do not disappear shortly after appearing, seem to get worse, or if there is a sudden increase in sores not only on the gums but also on other mucous membranes within the mouth, all warrant an appointment with your dentist.