Hello doctor,I had sensed my gums swelling up on the inside for a while and when I took a picture of it today, I saw my two innermost teeth on the bottom row seem to be rotting away. I wanted to understand what is happening to me before I go to a dentist.
Hello. I have seen the image (attachment removed to protect patient identity). These are the wisdom teeth and they have stains mostly because of smoking. There is no evidence of clinical cavity as for now, but can be confirmed after stain removal (scaling) and a clinical examination. The gums are swollen because of improper oral hygiene in that area (as the toothbrush cannot reach and clean properly there), food debris accumulation, and the traumatic bite, all causing inflammation of gums (gingivitis). For now, I suggest you do lukewarm water with salt gargling to reduce the inflammation in gums. If severe pain is there, then take a Paracetamol and do not chew anything hard on these surfaces. If the pain increases on chewing, the dentist can reduce the high points or the sharp points in the tooth surfaces in that area to give temporary relief. But, since you said it is occurring often, the permanent treatment is to get it removed (extracted) as this tooth is not much useful in chewing and in turn causes problems only. It is not an emergency. You can contact your dentist and plan it accordingly. And get a professional cleaning (scaling) once, to remove the stains and deposits and make your gums healthy and the teeth more esthetic. Take care. For more information consult a dentist online -->