What Causes Swelling And Bleeding Of Gums?

Posted on Mon, 20 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 Answered on

Mon, 10 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi my 1 year old started with fever of 102.1 about a week ago and then about 3 days after fever started she got sores on the outside of her mouth! This entire time her eating was poor...and when she would take bites she couldn't chew properly because of the pain! Thursday we went to the doctor and he diagnosed her with herpangina! Her gums were extremely swollen and red and her tongue had some ulcers on it but none on her throat as far as he could see... just really red! During this week we couldn't brush because she would cry and I knew it must have been hurting her because she loves brushing her teeth! As of today it seems like she is getting better...her throat didn't seem as red and she is eating a lot more but not so much chewing her food!!! I had noticed her color of her tongue was built up juices of what I could get her to drink to avoid dehydration! And also that her breath smelt like dog poop! So I started brushingHer tongue which also looks like it now has thrush on it but seems to be brushing off! I was able to brush softly yesterday! But today when I was brushing her top front teeth blood started spewing! I'm worried about her beautiful pearly whites! I am wondering if it's gingivitis or if I still should give the virus time to heal? Or if I need to call the dentist or dr.? Thank you for your time!

Answered by Dr. Vaishalee Punj (1 hour later)

Brief Answer: Hi Detailed Answer: Hi Thanks for posting your query on XXXXXXX I think the blood is coming from gums because of the inflammation of the gums (gingivitis). The inflammation of the gums can be from a few causes in her case. It can be from the herpes and/ or the thrush. It can also be a side-effect of some medicine that she has been taking or it can be a super-added bacterial infection. You may get her checked by her doctor. The doctor will be able to narrow down the possibilities by examining her. If the bleeding is bad, then she may need some antibiotics to reduce the super-added bacterial infection of the gums (if any). A mouthwash may not be a good idea because of her age. If the bleeding is minute, then antibiotics may not be needed. Then you can just wait and watch. I personally think that the bleeding will go away once the ongoing stress (due to infections) is diminished. For minute bleeding from gum, there is not much to worry about. Herpengina will take a few days to resolve. Thrush will also diminish in a few days once her immunity fights it back. Give her hygienic food and pure drinking water (This will help prevent any unnecessary food-borne infections). Give her lots of fruits to make her immunity stronger. Wishing your daughter good health. Regards Dr Vaishalee

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar