Gum abcess bleeding like mad, help!

[eternamariposa]

So I have this crazy looking bubble, probably an abcess, in my gums behind one of my teeth that is getting a little intense these days. I don't have any pain or sensitivity to the site, no fevers, but being pregnant the bleeding is INSANE. Basically, I have that particular tooth bonded and the dentist said that (even pre-pregnancy) my gums are rejecting the foreign material and I will need to have the work re-done because it wasn't done properly. I waited since I found out I was preggo thinking everything would be fine.

With my first pregnancy it did swell and would bleed a little with flossing, nothing major. But now it is the size of the tooth it is behind and bleeds so much that I actually have a flow of blood filing my mouth every time. At first it was just while brushing, then I had to be careful with really crunchy foods, and in the last couple of days it has actually started to bleed of its own accord. I don't know what to make of this. I am 35 weeks so I know I have a ton of extra blood exaserbating the bleeding. I bought some natural dentist brand mouthwash that is full of aloe, goldenseal, echinecea, xylitol, and other good things to keep everything healthy. But at what point is this not ok? When should I be seeing my dentist? Are there risks I am not thinking of here?

[Mama_2_Boy]

I've had similar problems.
The risk develops when bacteria could enter into your body via any opening/sore/cut in the mouth.
To stop or slow the bleeding, I would swish with warm salt water - lots and lots of salt like 4 tbls in a tall glass. The salt will also disinfect the mouth for a time.

Good luck to you.

[eternamariposa]

Do you think that I should rinse with the salt water in addition to the mouthwash? I had been using the salt water and it wasn't controlling it so I figured I needed something more but I couldn't decided if the mouthwash should be a replacement or a compliment.

[TRenee]

I usually am a lurker, but had to respond because I'm worried for you.

Please DO NOT put off getting this fixed. I had the exact same issue, luckily while not pregnant. I put off going to the dentist for a couple of months (it was last Nov. and my new dental benefits didn't kick in until Jan.) to get it fixed and it was the worst mistake I could've made--it literally affected my entire body (my immune system broke down).

Abscesses are also definitely dangerous for both you and your baby--gum/tooth infections can lead to pre-term labor. Please go get it looked at!

[eternamariposa]

I am absolutely going to get this fixed asap after I have the baby, at least that has been the plan. In my first pregnancy this tender spot-where the gums are rejecting the composite material-swelled a bit and they seemed to think that was to be expected because of the increase in blood volume, but it never got to this point. That being said, I think I have waited a long time to fix this, mostly because I didn't know exactly what was happening until recently, seeing as my son is 3 and I had it pre-pregnancy with him.

Do you really think that the preterm labor deal is still a big concern since I am so close to my safe dates? I have always heard that the infection causing preterm labor is the biggest worry, but since I am so close I can't decide if the intervention would be more dangerous than the risk of laboring early. Also, I don't really know what they would be able to do for it because the plan is to strip away all of the composite material and put it a porcelin veneer or crown in its place, but I will likely need a stainless steel screw to be placed since there may not be enough material on the tooth itself which was small to begin with to build the veneer. I don't think that this would be doable with the amount of bleeding that I have going on at all.

Also, I don't know if I have an infection or not because the area drains frequently with the bleeding because it is so vulnerable being so inflamed but it is always clean blood, no weird discharge or puss. I don't have a fever or any pain to the site. And I know that the inflamation was present before pregnancy and not considered an infection. The dentist just explained that it was inflamed as an attempt to reject the foreign material. I half just feel like it is a blood volume issue, but it certainly is unusual.

[TRenee]

eternamariposa, sorry I panicked when I saw you were dealing with an abscess and glossed right over the fact that you are near-term! Pre-term labor, at the point you're at, wouldn't be my biggest worry.

I still think you should take care of it sooner rather than later. The gum abscess I had came on rather suddenly after I had a root canal and sounds very similar to yours--no pus or fever, just a huge swelling with occasional bleeding. I thought it was related to the dental work I had just done, but it turns out the the original tooth infection had moved to the gums. I ended up having gum flap surgery. This was all quite a shock to me cause I didn't take it too seriously and I have pretty good dental hygiene (I floss twice a day!), nor did I have problems with any of my other teeth.

If your dentist says it's related to your previous procedure and is only inflamed, then maybe it's OK to wait. I might get a second opinion to be sure it's not an infection requiring antibiotics. I don't know if you plan to breastfeed, but perhaps the drugs/antibiotics you might have to take would interfere? I don't know.

At any rate, good luck to you, I hope everything works out perfectly. Sorry for being so panicky in the first note--my experience was just so traumatic I wouldn't wish it on anyone else, least of all a soon-to-be mama!

[eternamariposa]

I am definitely going to be breast feeding and knowing that I am transitioning from late pregnancy into nursing as someone who struggles with yeast a lot I am very hesitant when it comes to antibiotics but I don't want to be foolish either. I think that I will probably try to see my dentist tomorrow, hopefully he will still think it just looks like inflammation, and hopefully he will be on board with the idea of keeping it clean for now and reevaluating once my blood volume stablizes again. I know with my first pregnancy it went way down after I had my son.

[Sri Radha]

I am a dental hygienist. Go to the dentist. It could be something called a pregnancy tumor. They are harmless but they do bleed a lot! Or it could be an abscess and it that case you should have medical attention.

[eternamariposa]

Update

I actually went to the dentist yesterday and he said that it is not an infection or an abscess, woo hoo! He said that it is a fibroma that is growing this way first as a means to reject the composite filling, but now that I am in late pregnancy the hormones have made it go a little haywire. He recommends that I get it surgically removed since it will likely continue to grow and we don't want it to become infected or compromise my ability to clean the tooth it nearly covers, but he says he doesn't think I need antibiotics and removing it should be a minor procedure, safe for pregnancy. Thanks for all of the replies!

My only question now is should I do it during pregnancy or should I wait a couple more weeks until the baby is born? I am not sure which scenario opens me up to a greater possibility of infection/complication, leaving it or cutting it off. Either way he encouraged me to continue to do the things I have been doing to keep it clean and my consult with the oral surgeon will be tuesday.

[MamaMonica]

Moved to Dental. I'm glad you don't have an infection!