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Red and sore between front teeth

I

Ingabella

Junior member
Joined
Apr 12, 2020
Messages
17
Location
Uk
Hi there

I know I post here a lot, but it feels like I am having more than my fair share of gum problems at the moment.

The papilla between my front teeth is really red and sore. I don’t know what to do. I’ve just finished a 2 week course of Corsodyl mouthwash (Chlorhexidine) but it’s no better. I’m brushing and flossing as normal. What could it be? Thank you
 

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You've nicked it with floss probably. Try leaving it un-flossed for a couple of days and it'll be fine.
 
i use interdental brushes and don’t remember nicking it. It’s been like that for a couple of months
 
I was just looking at photos from a year ago and noticed some big changes in my mouth. Can you see how the tooth to the left of my front tooth looks a totally different shape? I haven't chipped it. Plus there's a black triangle there that wasnt't there befo
Why would there be such dramatic changes in one year? I can’t get to my dentist due to Corona, hence why I’m panicking and asking you.


first photo today, second a year ago
 

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The photos are taken at totally different angles, so they're not directly comparable.
 
Thanks Gordon

Do you think I may have periodontitis?

I have

A red line around my teeth
Receding gums
New black triangles
Teeth that seem to ‘click’ in and out of place
Pain in my gums

I saw my dentist in November who said I had mild gingivitis. Could it have progressed?

Many thanks

Here’s a picture of the redness
 

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Can't diagnose periodontitis from a photo, sorry. It can only be diagnosed by physically probing round the necks of the teeth.
You do have some mild gingivitis visible in that photo, probably due to having a short upper lip (the front teeth dry out and the gums get inflamed).

However, it's very, very, very unlikely that you've gone from mild gingivitis to any kind of serious periodontal disease in 6 months, periodontal disease is a very slow moving chronic disease which takes literally decades to progress in most cases.
 
Thank you Gordon

It’s just so frustrating that they are still red and sore, when I am doing everything to care for them. I’ve been prescribed a steroid gel to help them, but it hasn’t worked so far. I’m starting to wonder if I just have red gums full stop and that nothing will help them. Maybe it’s normal for me and I’m just over worrying.
 
You have a short upper lip on the photo, which will tend to cause your gums to dry out, especially over night when your saliva production switches off. This can lead to regular gingivitis in a lot of cases. Some people find it helpful to apply a very thin smear of vaseline over the gums at the front to prevent this happening.
Might be worth a shot for you if it's bothering you?
 
Thank you.

Do you think that it could be desquamative gingivitis? I have read that it causes a dry, burning sensation, which is what I feel...
 
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Doesn't look like it from the photos, although that's a rather old fashioned phrase now, we don't use it anymore.
 
Doesn't look like it from the photos, although that's a rather old fashioned phrase now, we don't use it anymore.
Thank you.

I’m using fluocinolone gel on them. Would you agree with that? I'm worried it will thin my gums out even more
 
No I certainly would not, presumably the dentist who prescribed it for you had their reasons?
 
Suspected Oral Lichen Planus, but it was an over the phone consultation due to Corona. I described my gums as red, painful with a burning sensation. Oh dear, should I stop the gel? I have had Chlorhexedine mouthwash for 2 weeks and that didn’t help either. I’m lost for what to do. My gums have been like this for a year now, and I’m at my wits end, I’m so anxious about them. It’s ruining my life to be hones.
 
Doesn't look like LP, it looks like good old fashioned gingivitis, which steroids will tend to exacerbate. Do you have any sore or red/itchy areas on your cheeks (on the inside!) or any white stripes on there? Anything on the inner surfaces of your wrists?

Bit of a delicate question, but is there any chance you could be expecting? That causes all kinds of weird gum issues.
 
Thank you, I think I’m going to stop using it. No, I’m not pregnant, but I could be close to menopause ~ I’m 46. I can’t find any white stripes on my cheeks. The main things I worry about are the pain and the possibility of more recession. My gums just look so thin and delicate and I’m so worried that when they heal they will recede more. Is recession inevitable?
 
LP classically shows up with white "striations" on the inside of the cheeks, mostly it's symptomless but there's a rare form called erosive LP which causes sort of ulcers on the cheeks. It doesn't happen very often on the gums, mostly the soft mucosa on the cheeks and side of tongue.

Ladies' hormones can cause all sorts of gum issues :)

Other things that could cause a burning feeling are Vitamin B12 deficiency and Folic Acid deficiency, might be worth bumping up the amount of B12/Folate in your diet, Special K is a good source of both for some strange reason :)

No there's no reason why they should recede, given decent home care.
 
They seem to be receding though, and I have a black triangle that wasn’t there before...

can I get it filled in?

thank you for your advice thus far, it is much appreciate. As you can probably tell, I am very anxious about my teeth and gums.
 

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If the inflammation has gone down a bit, which it looks like it has done there, then it'll look like the gum has shrunk up the tooth.
 
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