Gum burn

A burn is one of the most common injuries. The oral cavity is often affected in this way. It is very easy to get a gum burn - just eat something too hot. In addition, burns can also occur due to other reasons.

Causes gingival burn

In everyday life, thermal burns often occur due to the consumption of very hot food or drinks (such as coffee, tea, etc.). Chemical burns usually occur as a result of attempts to relieve toothache with analgin, alcohol, or other medications.

Symptoms gingival burn

The symptom of a thermal burn is a sharp pain, and the mucous membrane of the oral cavity becomes rough. If the burn is more severe, blisters may form on the gum, and then they burst, causing ulcers.

In the case of a chemical burn, the injured area turns red, after which a slight swelling develops. If the impact of the damaging substance on the gum is not eliminated, deeper tissue destruction may begin with the development of necrosis.

Stages

There are 3 stages of gum burns:

• At the 1st stage, a slight reddening of the mucous membrane occurs, and then the gums begin to swell, and painful sensations appear if you press on them;
• At the 2nd stage, blisters containing serous-fibrous exudate form on the gum. After they open, the mucous membrane becomes bright red, and the gum itself hurts. It should be remembered that this surface is very easily infected;
• At the 3rd stage, in addition to the above manifestations, the process of gum tissue death is observed.

[ 1 ], [ 2 ]

Forms

There are 2 types of burns, which differ depending on the factor that caused the damage:

• A thermal burn that occurs under the influence of high temperature, radiation or electric current;
• A chemical burn that develops as a result of exposure to various chemicals.

[ 3 ], [ 4 ]

Chemical burn of gums

Chemical burns of the gums often develop as a result of the effect of chemicals on the tissues of the oral cavity (usually medications used in dental practice: such as arsenic paste, phenol, as well as silver nitrate and formalin).

[ 5 ]

Arsenic burn of gums

Arsenic burns of the gums can lead to necrosis, which is a very common problem in patients undergoing dental treatment. Long-term exposure to arsenic has a toxic effect on tissues, which ultimately causes such consequences. If the arsenic paste was not sealed in the tooth with a temporary filling, it will penetrate outward, and there is a risk of developing a gum burn. This entails the destruction of bone cells - the so-called osteonecrosis. This disease is dangerous because it is chronic and constantly progressing. The duration of the disease can be 1-10 years, and it should be taken into account that at first it does not manifest itself in any way. Later, pain in the bone appears, and neuropathy develops.

[ 6 ], [ 7 ], [ 8 ]

Alcohol burn of gums

May result from rinsing the mouth with this substance to relieve toothache.

This type of burn should be treated based on how severely the mucous membrane was injured. If the burn is mild, home treatments will be enough. If the injury is more serious, you should consult a doctor.

The treatment of the victim is carried out as follows:

• It is necessary to rinse your mouth with disinfectant and analgesic solutions;
• Give injections with painkillers;
• Take sedatives (valerian);
• Use anti-inflammatory drugs (ointments or gels) to avoid suppuration and penetration of infection into the mucous membrane;
• Use wound healing medications (oil solutions).

During treatment, the victim should follow a diet - do not eat spicy, salty, sour, pickled, smoked foods, so as not to irritate the mucous membrane.

Complications and consequences

Without timely treatment for a chemical burn, the gums begin to swell, severe irritation begins, and the mucous membrane turns red. The consequence of this may be the development of necrosis, which will subsequently lead to the development of tissue necrosis.

How long does it take for gums to heal after a burn?

The duration of therapy after a burn depends on many different factors (such as, for example, the degree and type of damage), so only a doctor can predict the recovery time after studying the clinical picture.

[ 9 ], [ 10 ]

Diagnostics gingival burn

To diagnose an injury, the doctor only needs to collect an anamnesis and analyze the information obtained as a result of examining the victim.

[ 11 ], [ 12 ], [ 13 ], [ 14 ], [ 15 ]

Differential diagnosis

A burn resulting from exposure to a chemical must be differentiated from an allergic reaction to substances such as amalgam or plastic.

Treatment gingival burn

Since it is impossible to obtain complete information about the strength of tissue damage and determine the vector of therapy on your own, you need to seek help from a dentist. But first, you can provide the victim with first aid, which will alleviate his condition and facilitate further treatment:

• Remove the substance that caused the burn by removing any residue from the victim's mouth;
• Perform a mouth rinse procedure - plain warm water will do;
• Give the patient an analgesic (this should only be done if the patient experiences sharp throbbing pain, which may later cause pain shock).

Drug treatment

In case of a mild burn, doctors recommend rinsing the mouth with antiseptic medications: such as hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate or furacilin.

Hydrogen peroxide is contraindicated if the patient has hypersensitivity to the elements of the drug. Side effects include burning in the wound area during treatment, as well as allergies. To rinse the mouth, a solution in a concentration of 0.25% is required (you need to dilute a 3% solution with water in a ratio of 1 to 11).

Furacilin is contraindicated in case of bleeding and hypersensitivity to drugs. It is used as follows: for rinsing the mouth, 20 mg of the drug (this is 1 tablet) is needed, which must be dissolved in water (100 ml). Among the side effects is an allergy to the elements of the drug.

Potassium permanganate is contraindicated in case of intolerance to the drug. Side effects include allergy to the drug. To rinse your mouth, you need a 0.01-0.1% solution.

Additionally, a wound on the gum can be healed using regenerating ointments - metrogyl or solcoseryl.

Traditional and herbal medicine

There are several options for treating burns using folk remedies.

You can use the leaves of narrow-leaved chamaerion to rinse your mouth. The decoction is prepared in a 15/200 ratio (15 is the mass of ingredients, and 200 is the volume of water).

The herb of the plant is discoid chamomile, from which you need to make a decoction, dividing the components in proportions of 20/200. In addition, you can make a tincture from the herb - dilute 40 g of chamomile with water in a proportion of 1:10.

Fragrant violet herb - a decoction for rinsing is prepared in a proportion of 20/200.

Surgical treatment

A severe gum burn can lead to tissue necrosis. In this case, to prevent the spread of the disease to still living cells, it is necessary to remove the already dead tissue.

Prevention

As a preventive measure, you should not eat food that is too hot (in this case, you should be especially careful with children, since their mucous tissues are less resistant). Also, when using medications to relieve toothache, you should prevent them from coming into contact with the gums - the medicine should be wrapped in cotton wool beforehand.

[ 16 ], [ 17 ]

Forecast

A gum burn has a favorable prognosis if treated quickly and in a timely manner.