A neglected symptom of gum disease can become acute gum pain, you know!

Gum and mouth disease is one of the problems that is often overlooked. The reason is that gum and mouth disease does not always cause pain, you may not even realize you are experiencing it.

As a result, you will resume the lazy habit of brushing your teeth or eating sugary foods that can worsen the symptoms of gum and mouth disease. What are the symptoms of gum and mouth disease? Find out through the following reviews!

What is gum and mouth disease?

Gum disease is mostly caused by poor oral hygiene. When you are lazy to brush your teeth and often eat sweet foods, it will be easier for bacteria to grow and develop into plaque. As a result, bacteria can slowly infect the gums and damage the teeth.

Apart from being lazy to brush your teeth, gum and mouth disease can be exacerbated by smoking. In fact, smoking has the potential to make treatment ineffective.

In some conditions, you are more susceptible to gum and mouth disease when you have diabetes, take certain medications, experience hormonal changes in women, or have genetic factors.

Maintaining good dental hygiene can help prevent bad things that may happen and have an effect on your mouth.

Dental and oral hygiene, from bacteria that cause toothache to gingivitis, can also prevent bacteria that cause oral diseases, such as xerostomia, bad breath and canker sores.

Quoted from the NHS UK, healthy gums are gums that are pink, tight, and are a place for teeth to stick firmly.

Healthy gums and mouth will not bleed easily when exposed to toothbrush friction. Therefore, pay attention to any signs and symptoms of gum and mouth disease that may happen to you.

Signs and symptoms of gum and mouth disease

The most common symptoms of gum disease are swollen gums, redness, and bleeding. Meanwhile, the most common oral diseases are dry mouth, bad breath, and sores such as canker sores.

If left untreated, the symptoms of these diseases will develop into serious conditions.

Symptoms of gum disease

The initial stage of gum disease is called gingivitis. Gingivitis is reversible or can be cured by regularly brushing your teeth properly. Symptoms of gingivitis generally include red, swollen gums and bleed easily when you brush your teeth or eat hard-textured foods.

If gingivitis is not treated, the bacteria that cause gum disease will spread to the tissues and bones that support the teeth. This condition is known as periodontitis or periodontal disease. Symptoms of advanced gum disease or periodontitis include:

• Bad breath (halitosis)
• Bad taste in mouth
• Loose teeth that make it difficult to eat
• Gum abscess or pus buildup that appears under the gums or teeth

In certain cases, symptoms of gum disease that are left untreated will worsen, becoming necrotizing acute ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG). This condition is usually experienced by people who never brush their teeth and ignore a healthy lifestyle.

The symptoms of ANUG gum disease are usually more severe than other gum disease symptoms, including:

• Bleeding gums
• Ulcers or sores that cause prolonged pain
• The gums recede, causing the teeth to appear longer than before
• Bad breath
• Metal taste in mouth
• Excess saliva
• Difficulty swallowing or speaking
• Fever

There may be other signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about certain symptoms, consult your doctor.

Symptoms of mouth disease

Not far from gum disease, oral disease can also occur due to bacteria that often attack your teeth. Some of the common oral diseases are dry mouth, bad breath, mouth sores ranging from canker sores to oral thrush.

Dry mouth and bad breath

Dry mouth and bad breath are the most common and easiest to treat but should not be underestimated.

Xerostomia or dry mouth is a condition when the salivary glands are unable to produce enough saliva to moisturize the oral cavity. Meanwhile, bad breath or halitosis is a mouth condition that causes an unpleasant smell, which is generally caused by bacteria that grow wild in the mouth.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, the mouth that continues to feel dry, will make it difficult for you to chew, swallow, and even speak. This condition can cause a rough tongue, canker sores, and cracked lips.

Bad breath or halitosis is one of the symptoms of dry mouth conditions. Here are some symptoms in more detail:

• Feeling dry in the mouth, throat, or tongue
• Dry lips
• Canker sores appear in the mouth
• Have an infection in the mouth
• Bad breath
• Feeling a burning or burning sensation in the mouth
• Often feel thirsty
• Thick, sticky saliva
• Difficulty tasting, chewing, swallowing, or speaking

Sprue

If ignored, bad breath and dry mouth can lead to other conditions according to the symptoms that follow such as thrush. Thrush or also known as aphthous stomatitis is a small, superficial sore in the oral cavity. Sores can appear on the inner lips, inner cheeks, roof of the mouth, tongue, and gums.

The most common signs that can be symptoms of thrush are round or oval sores. The center of the wound is usually white or yellowish and red at the edges.

Other oral diseases that you need to avoid by maintaining oral hygiene are oral thrush or oral thrush. Is a yeast infection that occurs in the mouth caused by the fungus Candida albicans.

Yeast infection of the mouth is a condition in which the appearance of abnormal white lesions or tissue that is on the tongue or inner cheek area. Common symptoms of oral thrush is:

• Creamy white sores on the tongue, inner cheeks and sometimes the roof of the mouth, gums and tonsils
• Slightly raised cuts with a cottage cheese appearance
• Redness or pain that is severe enough to cause difficulty eating or swallowing
• Slight bleeding if the wound rubs
• Cracking and redness at the edges of the mouth (especially in denture users)
• Feeling like there is cotton in the mouth
• Loss of taste

There may be other signs and symptoms not listed above. If you have concerns about a particular symptom, consult your doctor.

How do you diagnose gum and mouth disease?

When you begin to notice the symptoms of gum and mouth disease, immediately get your teeth and gums checked by a doctor. During a dental exam, the dentist will usually assess the symptoms of gum and mouth disease by looking at:

• The degree of bleeding and gum swelling
• Straightness of teeth growth
• Jawbone health
• The distance or space (pocket) between the gum and the tooth. Healthy gums have pockets of 1-3 millimeters in size. The bigger and deeper the gum pockets, the more plaque will enter and worsen gum disease.
• Measuring the level of saliva in the mouth to detect xerostomia conditions. Your doctor may also take a biopsy sample of the salivary glands to test for those of you who have Sjogren's syndrome.
• Examine and look for specific sores on your mouth, tongue, or inner cheeks.
• Perform a biopsy by taking a small sample of the stomatitis wound to be examined under a microscope.

The main key to overcoming the symptoms of tooth, gum, and mouth disease is to regularly brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoridated toothpaste.

In addition, be sure to regularly check with your dentist to help prevent the development of disease in your teeth, around your gums and in your mouth.

Several health problems can be seen from the condition of teeth, gums and mouth

1. Diabetes

Diabetes affects your ability to fight off bacteria that can cause gum infections. When diabetes is not controlled, not only the glucose in the blood is increased, but also the glucose in saliva. Saliva which contains high sugar causes bacteria to easily grow in the mouth.

Diabetes complications can cause many problems with oral and dental health. According to American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are at higher risk for developing gingivitis, gum disease (gingivitis), and periodontitis (severe gum infection accompanied by bone breakdown). Diabetes can also cause you to easily experience mouth sores, bad breath, easy tooth loss, and dry mouth.

2. Heart disease

Quoted from Mayo ClinicMany studies have shown an association between periodontitis and an increased risk of developing heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease. If you are found to have chronic gum disease, you may also increase the risk of hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) in your neck.

3. Leukemia

What is the relationship between teeth and mouth and blood cancer? Leukemia or blood cancer can cause teeth to become more sensitive and painful. This happens because the dentine that protects the tooth is eroded and causes tooth erosion. In addition, leukemia sufferers can easily experience swollen and bleeding gums.

4. Crohn's disease

Crohn's disease, one of which is ulcerative colitis, is a disease that causes inflammation of the entire digestive lining from the mouth to the anus. If your dentist finds an open sore that persists and recurs, it could be a sign of Crohn's disease.

5. Acid reflux or GERD

Gastric acid reflux (GERD) which is also commonly called ulcers occurs due to irregular eating patterns. This causes stomach acid to rise and erode tooth enamel and dentin.

Gastric acid that rises to the throat and reaches the mouth can thin the enamel and dentin layers of the teeth, making teeth sensitive, especially in the back of the teeth.