A lump on the gums should not be left unattendedperiodontist Bae Seung-han

Lumps on the gums, causes and treatment

1. What is a lump on the gums?

There are people who look in the mirror and accidentally notice a bulge sticking out. When I brush my teeth, I sometimes bleed in this area. And some people say that this part smells. These are called gum nodules and, in technical terms, periapical abscesses.

If you notice that your gums are sticking out like this, you should definitely have it checked by your dentist. Patients often don't care because there are usually no symptoms, but the inflammation is spreading in this area.

Usually, when a periapical abscess occurs, something bulges outward from the tip of the tooth root. When the tip of the tooth root becomes inflamed, abscesses and gases come out, causing pain as the pressure rises. This abscess damages the bone, breaking through the gum bone and becoming a pocket of gum pus. So, even if you don't have any symptoms, when you press on the protruding area, it hurts a little bit and pus often comes out. These are called gum pus pockets.

2. Bone ridges with protruding lower gums?

Sometimes, some people say that there is a hard lump protruding on one side of the lower gum. This is a little different from a gum lump. In technical terms, this is called a 'mandibular bone ridge'. It also pops out like this. In addition to the roof of the mouth, the outer surface of the teeth also protrudes. This is a normal structure. So you don't have to worry. And these bones can be used later for implants.

3. How to treat gum lumps

How should I treat a lump on my gums? The picture above is an X-ray of the patient. If the gum lump is bulging like in the picture on the left, you may experience intermittent pain, or you may not have any pain. In this case, if you look at the red circle in the photo on the right, the root tip is full of inflammation. The basic treatment for this inflammation is to treat the nerves. Nerve treatment clears the gums.

4. What if the gum nodules don't go away?

But what if this gum nodule doesn't go away? If these protruding gum nodules don't go away, you may need to re-treat your nerves. And if it cannot be removed with basic nerve treatment, it may be removed with a surgical procedure called root resection that cuts the tip of the root.

To sum up, those who have a protruding tip of the toothpaste root should basically have a nerve treatment. And for those who have not been cured despite nerve treatment, they must have surgery called re-nerve treatment or root resection. If you leave it alone, it will be a big problem. If you leave it unattended, pus will continue to form at the end of the root. When it becomes inflamed, an abscess and gas come out, which builds up pressure and causes pain. This abscess damages the gum bone and breaks through the gum bone into a pocket of gum pus, which then protrudes like this. Therefore, if a patient has something sticking out of their gums, they should be treated by the dentist as soon as possible.

I also explained about 'bone ridges' that are similar to gum bumps. Usually, a nodule occurs on the outside. Most of the time, it occurs on the outer surface of the tooth where you brush your teeth. Therefore, if you have a lump on the inside of your tooth, it is unlikely that it is a gum lump. It's called a mandibular bone ridge, and it's a normal structure. If it's not a little squishy to the touch, but it's very hard, it's likely a normal structure. This is often due to the protruding gum bone. There are many reasons why this happens. It usually occurs when the chewing force is too strong. So, if you grind your teeth or are nervous, there are some cases where the gum bone sticks out like this. For those of you, it's nice to get something like Botox. If you have a strong chewing force, you can wear the device to protect your teeth