Trench mouth is a severe form of gingivitis that causes painful, bleeding and infected gum as well as ulcerations. The condition is likely to occur to people with poor nutrition and poor living conditions.
Trench mouth is also known as necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (NUG) named after some soldiers who were stuck in the trenches during World War 1 without means of taking care of their teeth. Trench mouth is not a contagious condition. If you want to learn more about this condition, read here.
Symptoms of trench mouth
- Red or swelling gums and bleeds when pressed lightly
- There is a severe gum pain when eating or swallowing
- Presence of gray film on the gums
- Foul taste in the mouth and bad breath
- Crater-like sores can occur between the teeth and the gums
- Swelling lymph nodes in the head, neck and jaw and there is fever and fatigue
Causes of trench mouth
The mouth contains microorganism like fungi, viruses and bacteria, and if the immune system that fights these infections is weak, it will reduce the ability to fight these bacteria and can result to trench mouth where bacteria grows out of control and cause infections on the gums and tissue that surrounds and supports the teeth.
Large ulcers, sometimes filled with bacteria, food debris and decaying tissues can form on the gums and cause severe pain, bad breath and foul taste in the mouth and enzymes and toxins that are produced by the bacteria can be the cause.
Some complications that can be caused by trench mouth include trouble in eating, difficulty in swallowing because of the pain, pain when brushing the teeth, losing teeth because of severely damaged bone and temporary or permanent destruction of the gum tissue.
Treatment and home remedies
- Take pain medications
- Avoid smoking and using tobacco products
- Stay on a liquid diet for the first few days of the treatment in order to minimize the pain.
- Avoid eating spicy and very hot foods which will cause irritation of the gums
- Drink plenty of liquid in order to keep hydrated and avoid drinking carbonated drinks and alcohol.
- Get plenty of rest in order to reduce physical and emotional stress and eat a well-balanced diet to improve nutrition.
- Comply with all dental appointments
Other remedies by using of baking soda
- Baking soda has anti-inflammatory properties and can help in reducing the swelling and can help in restoring some movement and mobility that were slowed down due to inflammation.
- Rinsing the mouth using baking soda helps in restoring the pH, kills bacteria and deodorizes the mouth.
- Baking soda has pain killing properties that can minimize the discomforts in the mouth.
Use of herbal remedies for trench mouth
- Use essential oils of lavender, chamomile and clay sage can help in reducing stress levels in the body.
- Chamomile tea and clay sage infusion can be used as mouth rinses to help in the healing.
- Parsley can be chewed to help reduce bad breath.