Nervous about gum

[ashleypulito]

Hi. I live in an area where COVID is spiking and haven't been to the dentist since January. This morning I woke up and one piece of my gums looked red and slightly puffy -- I'm attaching a picture (it's mostly the flap of gum between teeth -- the bottom of my two front teeth look dark in the photo but the area isn't red IRL). I'm super worried because I'm really nervous about going to my dentist because of recent covid spikes. It's worth noting that my other teeth seem fine and normal. I don't bleed when I brush, but had a tiny bit of bleeding when flossing that area.

Is this something that can go away with some TLC? I floss pretty regularly, I maybe forget once or twice a week. It's also worth noting that I get gum sensitivity and swelling before my period, and I'm in that point of my cycle now.

I'm really really anxious about this. Thanks for any help!

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

I'm not a dentist so I'm sure one of our experts will advise better, but could you have caught it flossing? Or on something you've eaten maybe?

 

[Gordon]

What she says ^^^

Also... make sure when you're brushing this area that you pull your lip down with your free hand to let you see what you're doing, it looks like you have quite a tight attachment between your bottom lip and your jaw, so it can be tricky to get the brush in properly.

 

[ashleypulito]

Hi -- I'm sorry for the nearly week late reply. It looks almost 100% better so I do think it must have been catching it on floss or something. I really appreciate both of your replies -- they made me feel so much better!