Your pearly whites might take center stage, but your dental care routine should focus on more than just your teeth. In fact, it’s arguably more important to focus on maintaining your gums, which have a direct impact on your overall health. That means if you have gum pain, you should head to the dentist right away, just as you would at the first sign of a toothache. Thankfully, some of the most common culprits of gum pain—which you can read about below—are fairly easy to treat. 

3 Reasons Your Gums May Be Hurting

1. Canker Sores

Aphthous ulcers—or canker sores—are small lesions that develop on the gums and inside the cheeks. They tend to burn or tingle for a day or two before the actual sore appears. Depending on their size, they can last for one to six weeks. Common causes include injury to the soft tissue in the mouth, harsh chemicals found in some oral hygiene products, allergies, hormonal shifts, stress, and food sensitivities. While small canker sores will go away on their own, your dental care provider can prescribe a mouth rinse or topical medication to speed up the healing process of larger sores. 

2. Rough Brushing 

If you’re overzealous when it comes to brushing and flossing, you could actually end up doing more harm than good. Hard bristles are especially damaging to the gums, which are prone to irritation. Switch to a brush with soft bristles, and avoid using an aggressive “seesaw” motion when flossing. 

3. Tooth Abscess

A tooth abscess is an infection that develops at the tip or on the side of the tooth’s root. When it occurs on the side, it’s known as a periodontal abscess because it causes pus pockets in the gums. Naturally, these pockets leave the gums sore and tender. As long as you seek treatment in a timely manner, though, it should be possible to save the tooth—and eliminate the infection in the surrounding gums—with root canal treatment. 

If your gums have been bothering you lately, head to Lowitz & Meier for quality dental care. Located in Cincinnati, OH, this full-service practice is equipped to perform the most advanced screenings and procedures in the field. From intraoral video imaging to root canal therapy, they do it all. To explore all the dental care services they offer at the state-of-the-art facility, visit their website, and call (513) 521-8900 to schedule an appointment.