Mouth sore that’s not going away

[xfilesjunkie]

I’m due to see an oral specialist in a few weeks as I’ve spent the best part of this year with a constant mouth sore, that seems to get better than returns, around a molar, left side. The back molar tooth you see is an implant but it’s the one in front that’s of concern, it ulcerates and is painful to touch. The tooth itself doesn’t hurt - but I do wonder why it keeps getting sore and aches all day. I know the gum has receded but this has got worse due to a months long gum sore here. Just don’t understand why it won’t heal. Couldn’t upload an attachment, said it was too big, so I’ve uploaded it here for viewing - https://ibb.co/JkZCRV2

Obvs kinda nervous as well that it’s something more sinister, I guess the oral specialist would be able to advise better, and like I said I’m seeing soon, but any ideas / support as to why this one area is persistently painful and sore would be appreciated

 

[drhirst]

Hi xfilesjunkie,

It looks like the problem is that the gum is very delicate and fragile in that area. Ideally, one would have a thick,firm fibrous layer of gum call attached gingiva around the neck of the tooth. Not only do you not have any attached gingiva, you also have a muscle attachment pulling on the area causing the gum to recede. This gum is so delicate it will be easily grazed by toothbrushing and this is probably the cause of your ulcers.
If the specialist also thinks this he may suggest a spot of minor gum grafting to create some attached gingiva around this tooth. It is a minor procedure which heals quickly and makes the area much more comfortable. He may well suggest extending the graft to the implant as this will help keep the implant healthy.

Good luck

Lincoln

 

[xfilesjunkie]

Hi xfilesjunkie,

It looks like the problem is that the gum is very delicate and fragile in that area. Ideally, one would have a thick,firm fibrous layer of gum call attached gingiva around the neck of the tooth. Not only do you not have any attached gingiva, you also have a muscle attachment pulling on the area causing the gum to recede. This gum is so delicate it will be easily grazed by toothbrushing and this is probably the cause of your ulcers.
If the specialist also thinks this he may suggest a spot of minor gum grafting to create some attached gingiva around this tooth. It is a minor procedure which heals quickly and makes the area much more comfortable. He may well suggest extending the graft to the implant as this will help keep the implant healthy.

Good luck

Lincoln

thanks for the reply. I thought this may be the case to some degree. Do you think eventually the ulcers will calm down, stop? I assume they’ll need to for a graft to happen? Or can it still take place.

what does the procedure generally involve?

 

[drhirst]

It may be, that with a suitable modification to your cleaning technique, the trauma to the delicate gum can be reduced enough to stop the ulcers. However, you would need a hygienist or dentist to show you exactly how to do it you are still getting the bacteria off without trauma.

If a graft is done a tiny piece of skin from the palate is transferred to the area where it is lacking. The complexity and length of the procedure depends on where you are simply trying to make the area more resilient or whether you are trying to cover the root where the gum has receded as well. The small muscle attachment would probably be removed at the same time. It would take an experienced periodontist about 30 minutes I would guess.

The area where the graft is taken from, and the area it is transferred to would be a bit sore for about a week.