GUM DISEASE

GUM DISEASE STARTING

Infection can start in the gums whenever the teeth near them are not clean. For example, there may be swelling (called an epulis) between only 2 teeth or between many teeth. In addition, gums that are weak from poor nutrition are not able to resist the infection. This is why a pregnant woman must take special care to eat well and clean her teeth carefully.

SIGNS:

• Gums are red instead of pink.
• Gums are loose instead of tight against the tooth.
• Between the teeth, gums are round instead of pointed.
• Gums bleed when you press against them, or when you scrape away food from under them.
• The person has bad breath and a bad taste inside the mouth.

Feel for tartar under the gum-or even a piece of fishbone.

TREATMENT:

Explain to the person the cause of her gum problem and what she can do to help herself.

1.  Show her how to clean her teeth better near the gums (page 67).

2. Tell her to rinse her mouth with warm salt water (page 7). Make 4 cups each day until the bleeding stops. Then make 1 cup each day to keep the gums strong and tough.

3. Tell her to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Guavas, oranges, pineapples, papayas, tomatoes, peas, and green leaves give strength to gums.

4.  Gently reach under the gums and remove tartar (or loose piece of fishbone) that is caught there.

MORE SERIOUS GUM DISEASE

Vincent's Infection

Vincent's Infection of the gums, also called trench mouth, affects both adults and children. In its worst form, it can eat a hole through the cheek of a weak child.

A person with Vincent's Infection may not want to eat because his teeth hurt when he chews food. That can make a child's malnutrition worse.

You must prevent this problem from starting, especially in a child who is weak from sickness. Teach mothers to clean their children's teeth and to get their children to rinse their mouths with warm salt water.

SIGNS:

• gums between the teeth are dying and turning gray.
• pus and old blood collect around the teeth.
• burning pain from the gums.
• bleeding from the gums.
• the mouth smells bad.

TREATMENT:

You will need to see the person over a two-week period. Start some treatment NOW:

1. If the person is already sick, give antibiotics for 3 days.

2.  Clean away the pus, old food, and big pieces of tartar. Then:

• Tell the person to rinse their mouth with warm water.
• Wipe the gums with cotton soaked in a 5% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Rinse with warm water. For a child, use a weaker solution. Mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 5 parts water and wipe the child's gums with it.
• Scrape away the bigger pieces of tartar. Do not try to remove all of it. You can do that later. Put topical anesthetic on the gums if you have some (first dry the area with cotton so the topical anesthetic will stay longer). Rinse away any loose bits of tartar with warm water.

3.  Give Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), 2 tablets a day for 7 days. (1 tablet = 500 mg.)

4. Teach the person how to care for the gums at home:

• Rinse at home for 3 days with a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide (page 8). Try to hold the solution in the mouth for several minutes. The longer the solution touches the gums, the better it is for the gums. Rinse once every hour. After 3 days, change to salt water, 4 cups a day. If you have no hydrogen peroxide, rinse with salt water from the beginning.
  
  For a young child who is not able to rinse, Mother or Father can wipe his gums with the weak solution of hydrogen peroxide 4 times a day.
  Show parents how to do this. Give them some cotton gauze and hydrogen peroxide to take home.
• Clean the teeth with a soft brush. Parents can clean children's teeth. Show them how, and ask them to do it even if the gums bleed.
• Cook food that is soft (like pounded yam) and not spicy (no pepper). Eat fresh fruits and vegetables that give strength to the gums.
• Stop smoking and stop chewing betel nut.

One week later, scrape away the rest of the tartar from the teeth. Then use the person's own brush and show him how to do a better job of cleaning his teeth.