Gingival enlargements and their management

Your gums are one of the most crucial supporting structures for your teeth, and it is important that your gums stay healthy for the optimum functioning of your oral cavity.

There are several types of gum diseases that can affect the gums, like periodontitis, gingivitis, or more. In this blog, we'll be discussing gingival enlargement and it’s treatment.

If you suddenly notice that some part of your gums has swollen, is reddish, or is soft to the touch, you may have gingival enlargement, and this article is for you.

Let us first understand what gingival enlargement is, and how we can treat it.

What is Gingival Enlargement?

Gingival enlargement is the abnormal overgrowth of the tissues of the gums. The gums appear swollen and balloon-like at the affected area. It can be caused by a variety of reasons like medications or poor oral hygiene.

Gingival enlargement can also be termed as gingival hyperplasia, gingival hypertrophy or hypertrophic gingivitis.

Symptoms of Gingival Enlargement

In gingival enlargement, your gums may be significantly larger than normal, red, bleeding and very soft and pliant to touch. They may also be tender and have plaque build-up.

In very severe cases, the enlargement may be so much that the gums completely cover the teeth. This may cause issues with alignment of teeth.

Common Symptoms Include:

• Tender or painful gums
• Gum overgrowth
• Inflammation of gums
• Plaque buildup
• Bad breath

If you think you have any of the above symptoms, visit a dentist or a periodontist to get a proper diagnosis for gingival enlargement.

Causes of Gingival Enlargement

Gingival enlargement can be cause by the following factors

• Anti-epileptic (Anti-seizure) medicine
• Immunosuppressant drugs
• Some drugs that treat high blood pressure like calcium channel blockers
• Pregnancy
• Poor oral hygiene

Treatment of Gingival Enlargement

The treatment for gum enlargement varies depending on the underlying cause. If the cause of enlargement is a certain drug, then the drug is stopped or substituted, and this can reduce the enlargement after scaling and root planing.

Pregnancy gingival enlargement is temporary, and resolves itself without much intervention.

In case removal of the root cause of the enlargement is not resulting in its reduction, a periodontist may suggest surgical removal of the gum overgrowth.

The following surgical procedures may be carried out to remove gum enlargement:

Excision with Laser

A periodontist will use a laser beam to gently excise the excessive tissues around your teeth. This is quite a safe and painless procedure and routinely done.

Electrocautery

This is yet another method to remove extra gums. But in this case, instead of a laser, the enlargement is removed using specialized electric devices.

Conventional Gingivectomy

In a conventional gingivectomy, the surgeon will remove the extra gums using a surgical blade under anaesthesia. This, too, is a painless procedure.

Periodontal Flap Surgery

A periodontal flap surgery may also be required, wherein the periodontist separates a part of the gums and cleans the inner tooth surface of inflamed tissue, plaque and tartar.

Gingival enlargement is a common occurrence, especially in patients taking certain medicines, and it is easily treatable.

If you think you have gingival enlargement, take an appointment with your dentist for the proper investigation and diagnosis.