Gum inflammation in a child: causes, symptoms, treatment, prevention

In the article, we will consider what to do if the child's gums are inflamed. Quite often, parents are faced with such a problem. A pathological process can develop under the influence of many factors. If such an ailment occurs, it is recommended to carefully study its symptoms and treatment methods.

general information

If the gum in a child is inflamed, this means the pathological process, manifested by irritation of the oral mucosa. Inflammation can be accompanied by swelling, bleeding, the appearance of small scratches and wounds on the gums. At the same time, the patient feels pain when eating food, brushing his teeth. It becomes difficult for him to chew food, as the process is accompanied by severe pain. The process can progress, affecting more and more tissues of the mucous membranes of the mouth.

Experts note that inflammation can develop under the influence of bacteria and viruses. But often the disease occurs due to mechanical damage to the gums, for example, in the process of brushing your teeth.

Causes

Dentists identify a number of main reasons why the child’s gums are inflamed:

1. Poor oral hygiene. Because of this, microbes accumulate on the teeth, leading to serious gum disease.
2. Teething. When teething gums may slightly redden and swell.
3. Hormonal disruptions. Able to negatively affect the activity of the whole organism, including the gums.
4. Burns, mucosal injury. Even minor scratches and sores on the gums can lead to inflammation.
5. Exposure to bacteria, viruses. A huge number of bacteria normally live in the human oral cavity. They do no harm if the child has strong immunity. With its reduction, harmful microorganisms are activated and cause harm.
6. Recently transferred cold, infection. As a result, the child's immunity weakens, and gum disease in this case acts as a negative consequence of the transferred pathology.
7. Vitamin deficiency. Vitamin deficiency often acts as the cause of gingival inflammation.

Why does a child have gum pain? In children younger than a year, this is due to a weakened immunity, with teething. In some cases, redness and swelling causes vitamin deficiency.

In cases where a woman who is breastfeeding consumes few vegetables and fruits, her baby may not have enough trace elements and nutrients. Because of this, inflammation can also occur.

In older children

In older children, gum disease can develop due to the use of hard foods, due to frequent colds, infectious pathologies. Sometimes a child damages his gums with toys, a toothbrush, cutlery.

Vitamin deficiency also affects the condition of the mucous membranes of the mouth. Gums hurt, swell, acquire a bright red color. As the disease progresses, the inflammatory focus begins to increase. Why else can a gum in a child be inflamed?

Associated pathologies

Often, gum disease accompanies a variety of pathologies of the oral cavity. For example, inflammatory can occur against the background of the following diseases:

1. Tartar. Inflammation is often provoked by hard deposits that accumulate on the surface of the teeth. Such deposits, as a rule, consist of pathogenic pathogens that destroy not only dental, but also gingival tissue. As a result, an inflammatory process is formed.
2. Periodontitis. With this pathology, inflammation is extensive, affecting all tissues. Often between the gums and teeth there are holes, gaps, as bone tissue is destroyed. Why can there be white gums in a child?
3. Stomatitis. As a rule, inflammation in stomatitis is localized in a certain area of ​​the oral cavity. The disease manifests itself with the appearance of wounds, sores, discoloration of the gums to white or grayish-white (due to the accumulation of purulent plaque). The wound can be several or just one.
4. Gingivitis. Inflammation with gingivitis can be mild or extensive. Pathology is characterized by damage to the tissues of the mucous membranes. At the initial stages of its development, gingivitis affects exclusively the upper layers of the gingival tissues. Damage to bone tissue in this case is absent.

In infants, gum disease often occurs during teething. Such a phenomenon is considered quite normal - a tooth, erupting, injures the gum tissue with a sharp edge. As a result, they swell and blush. The child has an unbearable desire to scratch the gum. This process is not complete without inflammation. It disappears when the process of teething in a child is completed.

Symptomatology

Gum disease is accompanied by the appearance of, as a rule, the following symptoms:

1. Swollen gums, redness. The tissues turn red, slightly increase in size.
2. Sore gums. This symptom is most pronounced in the process of chewing food. Eating hard foods can cause even more gum injury.
3. Bleeding. There may be a scratch on the gum, a wound that begins to bleed even with slight grazing.
4. Flux. In some cases, a flux can form on the inflamed gum - a cavity filled with purulent contents.
5. Itching Gum tissue begins to itch a lot. Due to the fact that the child wants to scratch the gums, she begins to take toys in her mouth.
6. Weakness, poor health. The child is lethargic, decreased performance. He lies a lot, refuses games.
7. Loss of appetite. Feeling of hunger is dulled due to soreness in the gums. The child refuses food, which causes even greater weakness, pallor appears.
8. Sleep disturbance. Soreness in the gums can occur even at night, which is why the child does not sleep well.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of the disease is carried out in a dental clinic. The doctor examines the oral cavity of the child, prescribes certain studies:

1. Laboratory study of a blood sample.
2. X-ray examination.
3. Microbiological research. For its conduct from the oral cavity take samples.

These methods allow you to quickly determine the diagnosis, identify the cause of the development of inflammation, and prescribe therapy to the small patient using suitable drugs.

Elimination of inflammation at home

Doctors recommend using special gels and ointments to eliminate inflammation. Any adult can handle this procedure. He must ensure that the child performs all the prescribed manipulations correctly. The most effective gels and ointments are:

1. "Solcoseryl."
2. Asepta.
3. Holisal.
4. Baby Doctor.
5. "Metrogil Dent."

Using such drugs is easy. They should be applied to a cotton pad and pressed for 10 minutes to the affected area. After that, the cotton pad must be removed.

The procedure is performed twice or three times a day. After using these drugs, you should not take food for half an hour.

Folk recipes

To eliminate flux on the gums in a child, you can also use traditional medicine, but their use must be agreed with the dentist. A fairly effective remedy is beets. It should be crushed with a grater (raw), and then mixed with sunflower oil. The resulting mixture is applied to the affected area. Keep the beetroot compress on the gums for 20 minutes or more, and then remove. After the procedure, it is important to rinse the mouth thoroughly. It is recommended to perform the procedure twice a day.

A soothing effect on the gums is able to have an infusion of chamomile. To prepare it, you should pour a tablespoon of chamomile flowers in a glass of boiling water and insist for half an hour. After this, the infusion must be filtered and cooled. The finished product should be used to rinse the mouth twice or thrice during the day.

Calendula can help eliminate gum disease. Use should be the medicinal infusion of this plant. To prepare it, mix a glass of boiling water and 20 grams of marigold flowers. The solution is insisted for about half an hour, then cooled and filtered. Use the finished rinse three or four times a day.

Treatment in the clinic of pediatric dentistry

The most effective is considered professional treatment, which is carried out in the dental office. First, the doctor examines the child’s mouth, identifies the causes of inflammation, and only after that prescribes the optimal therapy. The most effective modern methods of eliminating the process of inflammation are:

1. Irrigation of inflamed areas with medication.
2. Application of anti-inflammatory drugs to damaged areas.
3. Hydromassage. The inflammatory process is eliminated by massage the gums with a water jet.
4. Using a laser. This technique is necessary only in extreme cases, with extensive inflammation.
5. Ultrasound. Used if inflammation is triggered by tartar.

These methods of treating gums in children are highly effective; the early stage of inflammation can be eliminated in just a few procedures.

Drug therapy

One of the safest and most effective means to eliminate gum disease in children is Rotokan. Instructions for use indicate that it is an alcoholic infusion of three herbs: marigold marigold, pharmacy chamomile, and yarrow. The liquid has a dark brown color and a specific sharp aroma of herbs.

The drug has a complex therapeutic effect:

1. Eliminates inflammation.
2. Stimulates regeneration, accelerates the healing of damage to the mucous membranes.
3. It has an antimicrobial, antibacterial effect, allows for antiseptic treatment of the oral cavity.

Before use, the medicine should be diluted with boiled warm water. The dosage of the drug depends on how severe the inflammation is. When treating young children, 1-2 teaspoons of an alcohol solution should be diluted in a glass of water. For children from 7 years old, the dosage can be increased to 3 tablespoons.

The specified solution is used to rinse the mouth. Perform the procedure shown twice or three times a day. When treating children who do not know how to rinse their mouths, you can use Rotokan for applications. To this end, turunda from gauze or cotton wool is moistened with the prepared solution, and then it is applied to the gums for 15-20 minutes.

Therapy "Rotokan" should last no more than 5 days. If there is no result and inflammation persists, you should visit a doctor.

If your child has gum disease, what to do is important to find out. Your doctor may recommend the use of antiseptic drugs or anesthetics. A popular anesthetic medication is Lidocaine. It rarely provokes allergies, is well tolerated by young children.

How to prevent the development of flux on the gums in a child?

Prevention

To prevent inflammation, certain preventative measures should be followed:

1. It is important to organize proper oral hygiene. Children should be taught to brush their teeth from an early age. You need to use a special toothpaste for children up to a year.
2. You must eat healthy foods by limiting your intake of sweets.
3. You should visit your dentist regularly.
4. Teeth should be brushed correctly so that gum injuries do not occur.
5. It is recommended to take multivitamin complexes.

It is worth remembering that banal gum disease can indicate a serious pathology, therefore, treatment of the disease in children should be started as soon as possible.