Why do gums smell bad?

There are many reasons for swollen, inflamed and smelly gums. The most common one is periodontitis. With the continuous improvement of living standards in today's society, some bad eating and living habits cause local diseases and inflammations caused by damage and infection around the teeth. When suffering from periodontitis, bleeding gums, abscesses, and smelly gums will appear. We should take precautions and improve our bad living habits and diet. Protect your oral hygiene.

Question 1

Smelly gums may be caused by pus formation on the gums, which makes them smell bad. This may be caused by alveolar abscess, periodontal abscess, or apical periodontitis. It is recommended to go to the oral department for treatment, confirm the diagnosis and carry out corresponding treatment. Pay attention to a light diet and avoid spicy and irritating foods.

Question 2

Symptoms and signs

1. Early subjective symptoms are not obvious: patients often only have symptoms of irritative gingival bleeding or bad breath, which are similar to the symptoms of gingivitis. During examination, the gingival margin, gingival papilla and attached gingiva may be swollen, soft, dark red or dark red in color, and easily bleed upon probing.

2. As the inflammation spreads further, the following symptoms appear:

(1) Periodontal pocket formation: Due to the expansion of inflammation, the periodontal membrane is destroyed, the alveolar bone is gradually absorbed, the gums are separated from the tooth roots, the gingival sulcus deepens and a periodontal pocket is formed. The depth of periodontal pockets can be measured with a probe. X-ray examination can reveal varying degrees of alveolar bone absorption.

(2) Periodontal suppuration: Ulcers and inflammatory granulation tissue form on the periodontal pocket wall, and purulent secretions remain in the pocket, so pus can be seen when the gums are gently pressed. And often have bad breath.

(3) Loose teeth: Due to the destruction of periodontal tissues, especially when the alveolar bone absorption is aggravated, the strength supporting the teeth is insufficient, resulting in loose teeth and displacement.

At this time, patients often feel weak bite, dull pain, and worsening gum bleeding and bad breath. When the body's resistance is reduced and the drainage of periodontal pocket exudate is poor, periodontal swelling may occur. At this time, the gums appear oval, red and swollen, the teeth become more loose, and there is percussion pain. The patient feels severe local throbbing pain, and sometimes abscesses appear in multiple parts of the body at the same time, which is called multiple periodontal abscesses. At this time, the patient may have symptoms such as fever, general discomfort, swollen and tender submandibular lymph nodes.