Do your gums feel and look puffy? Do you bleed when you brush your teeth every day? Its most probably because you have gingivitis, a common problem caused due to inflammation in your gums.
The root cause for inflammation in your gums is due to plaque build-up. It can irritate your gums and when left untreated it can loosen up the gums, make it pull away from the teeth. In some rare cases, it can even cause the tooth to fall out.
Apart from causing your gums to bleed, gingivitis can also lead to painful abscesses and chronic bad breath.
If you are having a hard time treating your gum problems, here are some simple natural remedies to bring down the symptoms and to reduce the pain.
Salt Water Gargle
Mix one teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and use the resulting mixture to swish around your mouth for 30 seconds before spitting it out. Make sure you finish off the entire glass of water to find much-needed relief from pain and to reduce swelling.
Hydrogen Peroxide
If saltwater is not working for you then you can do the same with a hydrogen peroxide solution. Mix hydrogen peroxide and water in 1:1 ratio and use it to gargle around your mouth.
Hydrogen peroxide will help to numb down the pain and also kills off the bacterias causing pain.
Wet Tea Bag
Tea contains tannic acid which is a powerful astringent. This helps to shrink the sensory nerves and swollen tissues and prevents bleeding in your gums.
How to use: Place a wet tea bag against the painful area for a few minutes and dispose of it.
Ice Pack
Cold numbs down the sensory nerves and temporarily blocks it from sending pain signals to the brain. Additionally, ice helps to reduce swelling in gums.
How to use: Place an ice pack wrapped in a clean cotton cloth on your cheeks for a few minutes till the pain subsides.
Baking Soda Paste
Mix a little water to baking soda powder and make it into a fine paste. Apply this paste to the painful area. Try to keep it in place as long as possible so that the baking soda gets absorbed.
Baking soda will neutralize and kill the pain-causing bacterias and microbes. However, do this only once a day as baking soda can tenderize the gum tissue and damage it when used repeatedly.
Coconut oil Massage
Massaging the painful area with a little coconut oil will increase the blood flow in the area and help it to heal faster.
How to do it: Soak your forefinger with some coconut oil and gently grip the sore muscles between thumb and index finger and give a series of gentle squeezes.
Calendula Oil
Calendula is a popular folk remedy to treat wounds and it can potentially help to bring down pain in sore gums.
Soak a small tincture in some calendula oil and place it directly over the painful gums. Leave it in place for 3 to 5 minutes.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea has been found to be very effective against gingivitis and in reducing the pain caused by it.
How to use: To a cup of hot boiling water add 3 teaspoons of the herb and let it steep for 10 minutes. Then strain and cool the tea. Use this tea to rinse your mouth once or twice a day to find much-needed relief.
Mouthwash gargle
Choose a mouthwash that contains cetylpyridinium chloride or domiphen bromide. These two ingredients are found to be very effective against plaques and help to remove it in the long run.
How to use: Use the mouthwash to rinse your mouth once or twice a day for best results.
B-Vitamin Folic Acid
Many studies have shown that Vitamin-B folic acid has been very effective against bleeding gums and gingivitis.
How to use: Buy an over the counter folic acid solution from any of the drug store near you and use it to rinse your mouth once or twice daily.
