Quickly Demystify Gum Boils: What You Need To Know
Dealing with painful or strange gum boils? Don’t lose hope – we’ve got the scoop to quickly demystify gum boils:
Here is what you need to know about gum boils so you can take the right course of action. There is a lot of misunderstanding about what gum boils are exactly, and we will straighten that out right away here.
The main thing to know is that if you see a gum boil, it means at least one tooth is in immediate danger. If you let it go, the infection may spread and cause even more damage. We want to help you take care of them properly and take corrective action so you don’t get another gum boil.
First, exactly what is a gum boil?
Gum boils happen when there is an infection at the root tip of the tooth, usually because the nerve in the tooth has died and there is infection in the pulp cavity of the tooth. The bacteria festers inside the tooth and creates an abscess. The gum boil is where the abscess has reached the surface. It is like a relief valve. If and when it pops pus will ooze out. It is not like a blister that is filled with clear liquid. The gum boil is just the opening that leads to the much deeper abscess in your mouth, probably down at the root tip of a nearby tooth. The boil that forms on the gum isn’t right along the gum line, but further up (or down on the bottom jaw) near the roof of the mouth or the bottom of the jaw on the bottom.
A gum boils look like a pimple inside the mouth. When your gums are red and inflamed it can be painful and make it hard to eat. These are abscesses along the gum line that are caused by bacterial infection in the gingival crevice (or gingival pocket). A gumline abscess is different from a gum boil, though some people call them gum boils as well.
Why do you get gum boils?
A few things can give you gum boils. The main problem is dental cavities caused by lack of good oral hygiene—good old-fashioned brushing and flossing. And then not seeing a dentist to detect the cavities and get them taken care of when they are small. A cavity can penetrate the enamel layer of the tooth, get into the dentin and cause infection in the pulp cavity and down into the root canal of the tooth. This infection can cause the nerve of the tooth to die, leading to an infection at the root tip of the tooth. The abscess that forms at the root tip needs a relief valve. So, the infection makes a way to the surface of your gums and forms a pimple.
Now, it could be that you have a tooth that already has had root canal therapy done on it. You might still get an infection at the root tip of the tooth. The root canal treatment you got took care of the infection inside your tooth (mostly?) but your immune system, maybe with the help of antibiotics, has to clear out the infection in the jaw itself. So, if it feels like the root canal therapy worked at first, and your infection got better, then some time later a gum boil shows up near that same tooth, it is possible that an abscess has formed in the jaw near that tooth again. It might be residual infection that has suddenly gotten unsuppressed and grown into a problem.
What are the main symptoms of a gum boil?
- Localized redness and swelling in your gum.
- The bump could be white and red.
- Gum boils can be nearly painless.
- Pain further down by the root tips of the teeth when pressed by your finger. That is where the infection is actually at.
- When popped, pus oozes out.
- Sense of relief of pressure when popped.
- Gum boil returns within a few days or a week after popping.
- Fever is possible if the abscess gets really bad.
A gum boil indicates a serious infection down near the root tip of a tooth. If you don’t get it treated, the infection could spread and lead to more serious dental problems over time like losing more teeth.
There are people who recommend natural solutions or home remedies for gum boils and abscesses. While some of that may bring temporary relief, it is very unlikely that salt water rinses, essential oils (even tea tree oil which is great for infections or clove oil which helps with a lot of dental pain), antibacterial mouthwash, numbing agents, or warm compresses will get to the root cause of your gum boil. The infection is too deep and it is too late in the process for preventative methods to really help. Red light therapy has shown some promising results for gingivitis and periodontitis, and as an adjunct therapy with pulpotomy in children’s primary teeth, so it might help with an infection in the jaw. There isn’t much research on this type of application that I could find. I know this is bad news, but it is what it is. Truth is more important than being delusional.
So, how do you treat a gum boil?
You may have already noticed that your gum boil will return after it has popped once, or even multiple times. And as we already discussed, the gum boil is a sign of a deeper serious infection. So, the answer actually requires a visit to your dentist, who you may have to have a better relationship with, since that might be part of the problem.
The dentist will likely examine the gum around the gum boil, may lance and drain the gum boil, and take x-rays of the side of the jaw where the gum boil has erupted.
When the dentist has determined which tooth is actually at risk, he may recommend root canal therapy, or an extraction of the tooth if it is too compromised to be saved by root canal therapy. If the tooth is still vital, there may be options you can explore to help save the tooth. Again, red light therapy is promising, but not proven in this regard. But the presence of a gum boil indicates that it is quite late in the process of infection in and around the tooth. So, it doesn’t look good for that tooth and a root canal might be your dentist’s recommendation.
Root Canal Therapy?
Now, root canal therapy is a bit controversial. Some health advocates claim that the attempt to seal up the tooth with its miles of microchannels by gutta percha or some other agent is futile. They claim that the bacteria cannot all be eradicated, setting the stage for a focal infection that secretes toxins into the bloodstream, causing inflammation and infections elsewhere. Ozone therapy prior to placing the filling material may be helpful in increasing the odds of a successful root canal therapy. Root canal therapy has been linked to breast cancer by Dr. Thomas Rau at the Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland. So, you may want to look into that controversy a bit more before saying “yes” to root canal therapy. A great place to start would be the book by George Meinig entitled, “Root Canal Cover-up.”
Unfortunately, the alternative to root canal therapy for a dead tooth is extraction. And replacement with something not as good as your original, but now dead, tooth.
It seems like the news about gum boils keeps getting worse and worse. Sorry about that. It is a bummer for sure.
Here are some tips to avoid gum boils in the future.
Now, these tips won’t help with your current gum boil/bad tooth issue right now. But you do want to change what you are doing that lead to this gum boil in the first place.
- Brushing your teeth at least twice a day. We recommend using a natural toothpaste that is fluoride-free, as fluoride has been proven to be a neurotoxin. Sure, it can make strong bones and teeth, but at what cost?
- Flossing daily. Using flossers saves all the trouble of dealing with slippery floss while sticking your fingers way into your mouth. It is a way better experience that people would actually do every day.
- Consider using a tooth oil, like Ora-Shield to help get rid of nasty disease-causing bacteria in your mouth. Ora-Shield has a little bit of tea tree oil and oregano oil with their well-known antibacterial properties blended with peppermint and spearmint oils. If toothpaste was so great for gum disease, we wouldn’t see 40-60 percent of the general population with gum disease. We need a better tool for gum disease, and tooth oil is that tool.
- Use a natural mouthwash to help balance your oral microbiome. A lot of your mouth doesn’t get brushed when cleaning your teeth and gums. Tooth oil can be diluted, just a few drops of tooth oil in about two tablespoons of water (1/2 an ounce) to make an effective mouthwash.
- Boost your immune health. This means first eating more fruits and vegetables. Then cut out ultra-refined and processed foods. Get rid of junk and feed your body real food, the kind of food your grandma would recognize as food. There is a lot more that could be said about this, but the point is to take action, not just tune out the advice of eating more fruits and vegetables and stop drinking sugar sweetened beverages. As Michael Pollan quipped, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” That sums it up pretty well. You need to learn to love foods that love you back, as Dr. Daniel Amen tells people.
- Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. There are no health benefits to either of these habits. Both habits lower your immunity. Enough said about that.
- Get regular exercise to stay in shape. This will boost your immunity and your mood. A mix of strength/resistance training and aerobic activity works well for many people. Find activities or hobbies you like to do that require physical exertion. Better to be in shape than to be a shape.
- Take dietary supplements to boost your immunity. Here are a couple of basic recommendations:
- Vitamin D3. Many people need 5,000 IU/day to have healthy blood levels of 25(OH)D.
- Vitamin C, at least 3 grams a day, taking just 1 gram doses at a time. Vitamin C needs to be spread out throughout the day.
- Fish oil. Take 2 or 3 regular strength capsules per day. Beware that fish is much more likely to be contaminated with heavy metals that commercially produced, closely monitored fish oil. So, take fish oil.
- Visit your dentist once or twice a year just to make sure your oral hygiene regimen is working. If it isn’t, your dental hygienist may give you some personalized tips on how to reach those problem spots that you are experiencing. Cavities are easier to deal with when they are small. Same with gingivitis.
Summing it up.
So, gum boils are no longer a mystery to you. By the time a gum boil shows up in your mouth, it is a bit late for that tooth. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. If you have bleeding or swollen gums, there are things you and your dentist can do to improve and normalize your gums so that they are healthy. But a gum boil indicates there is an abscess down at the root tip of a nearby tooth. While home remedies and natural therapy can relieve some pain, they can’t deal with the infection effectively. You need to see a dentist. A gum boil may mean a root canal or extraction is needed on the affected tooth. Make your decision carefully. A gum boil needs professional attention so the infection is taken care of and doesn’t spread further.
