Do Your Gums Feel Tight And Stretched? Here's Why.

When your gums are healthy, chances are you go through your life without giving them much thought. However, the moment they start to feel wrong, people get worried. There's a good reason for that. If you feel like the tissue of your gums feels almost as though it's being stretched taut, chances are you have a specific problem going on in your mouth. Here's what it is.

Inflammation

Inflammation is usually the leading culprit behind gums feeling tight or stretched. There are two reasons for this.

The first is that inflammation tends to sensitize tissues, including the gums. When areas of the gums become painful, they also typically become more sensitive.

The reason why your gums feel stretched and not just painful is that the inflammation may be literally stretching the tissue of your gums. While the body is good at growing new skin when a person gains weight, the gums aren't designed to change size regularly like that. If you have tissue inflammation in your gums, chances are they're swelling past their normal size and feel tight or stretched as a result.

What Follows

Without treatment, inflammation can quickly become something more serious. In fact, if you're already experiencing the sensation that your gums are being stretched too far, there's a good chance that you already have gum disease.

Gum disease comes in multiple stages. Gingivitis often goes unnoticed, but it's the first phase of gum disease. Periodontitis, the more advanced form, can only be treated by a dentist. Unfortunately, it's this phase that's typically responsible for things like swelling and bleeding of the gums.

Getting Help

If you're experiencing swollen or painful gums, it's time to seek help from a dentist.

When you visit your dentist, they'll perform a full examination to determine what's going on with your gums. They may take X-rays to determine if there's been any tooth or bone loss under the surface, as can sometimes happen with periodontitis.

In most patients, periodontitis can be reversed with a thorough cleaning from the dentist, removal of any damaged tissue that can't be saved, and antibiotics. Once this process is complete, your discomfort level should immediately begin to drop. Once your gums have healed from the cleaning and dental procedures, you shouldn't have any more pain at all.

Keeping periodontitis at bay in the future requires regular dental appointments, especially if you're inclined to develop gum disease. Make sure to talk to your dentist about how often they recommend that you come in, as well as any recommendations they have for at-home care. For more information, reach out to dental clinics like Cross Creek Family Dental.