Gum Inflammation

[Contrapulate]

Hi All. New to this forum and definitely glad I found it. I haven't been to the dentist in at least 5 years due to a myriad of problems. These days I tend to think it has to do with all the orthodonture I had done as a kid. I'm sure the fact that I keep putting off going just makes the fear worse, but I can't really help that. I've been very lucky over the years (i'm 23) to only have 2 cavities. I also had my wisdom teeth out, which was surprisingly successful.

Anyway, I was recently eating a Cliff Bar and bit down on a large almond with my bottom 2 front teeth. The pain was pretty bad, but would go away after about half an hour. This pain went on and off for about a week, and orajel seemed to help. About 2 weeks later, I started to wake up noticing that the gum behind the teeth (under my tongue) would become inflamed, but would subside later in the day. Also, drinking alcohol seems to cause this pain to flare up the most.

I guess my question is, how serious do you think this problem is? When the pain is there, it's actually really bad. Although I happen to think it partially causes me to have a panic attack, which may make the pain seem worse. I'm sure the main recommendation is going to be to go to the dentist, but I guess i'd just like to hear your opinions. Thanks!

 

[Zzzdentist]

You might have some gum disease around the lower incisors which could explain the pain and subsequent gum swelling. Sometimes the bone erodes away and the perio pocket deepens around those teeth jeopardizing the support over time. A bite into something hard can further jar the tooth and tear the ligaments leading to an infection in the area. Considering your age though, this might not be the reason.

It's best to have it xrayed to see if anything can be done. Sometimes if there is still bone support left, the area can be cleaned out and the teeth splinted from behind. One other possibility might be that you accidentally drove a piece of something into the gum pocket irritating the area and creating the swelling. Yet another possibility might be that it is coming from an abscessed tooth.