is it normal to have gum irritation around molar bands?

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#1 Post by **Grutty** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:08 am

I just had molar bands put on all of my back molars a week ago. Three of them feel fine, but one is really bothering me.

My gum around the band feels really irritated, and it hurts when I brush or floss around it. It also bleeds when I brush it. And, (sorry, this is gross) it kind of smells bad when I floss it.

I started using a peroxide mouthwash over the weekend, and I think that is helping a little.

Today I went to my ortho's office so he could check it, but he was out of the office, so a different doctor looked at it. He spent five minutes telling me that it was normal to have irritation from the brackets, even though I kept explaining that it was my GUMS bothering me, not the inside of my mouth!

Finally he said that I probably had food stuck in there, which is normal, and there is nothing to be done about it.

He stuck wax on one of my brackets (even though I had explained multiple times that the bracket wasnt the problem) and told me to come back in a week if my gum was still hurting.

Have other people had gum irritation and bleeding from new molar bands? Do you think it will clear up if I keep brushing, flossing and using the mouthwash?? I dont want anything to damage my teeth or gums.

#2 Post by **ReneG** » Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:27 pm

Edited from one of my previous posts:

I had gum irritation too - Sore gum on the inside of my upper right banded molar and the tooth is tender, there was blood when I brushed but not freely bleeding.

I made an emergency appointment. My ortho probed around and confirmed that it wasn't food but irritated gums. Apparently the banded teeth were missing their brethren (upper premolars were extracted to make space in my mouth) and the gums were still adjusting. AND the band was resting on the bony root of the molar it is on so my body was responding appropriately.

I asked him how I could tell if it was just gum irritation or food stuck causing problems... he pointed out that the bottom of my bands were under the gumline... unless I was actively brushing my food in, it'd be hard for it to get in on its own Embarassed

All he did was to pull down the band a bit on the right and a bit more on the left.

#3 Post by **Grutty** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:29 am

Thanks Meryaten, I will keep up with the oral hygiene and hope it starts to clear up. There doesnt seem to be anything stuck in there, (at least nothing I can find) but the smell has me worried too.

Rene, what do you mean when you say that your ortho pulled your bands down? Did he have to remove the bands to do that? My bands also go beneath my gumline.

#4 Post by **flesh-was-sweet** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:28 am

Hi Grutty

Have you tried rinsing with salt and water twice a day?

It solved all my gum irritation!

#5 Post by **pitterpat** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 11:41 am

I have 2 molar bands - opposite sides of the mouth, one top, one bottom. Neither bother my gums and I have small teeth. The assistant tried various sizes before finding one small enough for my teeth.

#6 Post by **sherilynn23** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 5:33 pm

The same thing happend to me a few months ago and I must say I really appreciate my Ortho after hearing how your office treated you!

So i must have ate something crunchy I had no business eating and it wedged between my molars. I floss constantly and brush after every meal but sometimes it happens...not necessarily do to poor hygeine rather eating something the wrong way.

My Ortho was really great he actually took my molar band off flossed my teeth really well (nothing came out but he said it probably came a while ago out but not before irrating my gums) and then took off my band for a week. By one week the swelling of my gums went down and I was good as new...I would def tell your office you werent happy with the treatment you recieved and ask your ortho if something else should be done like removing the band to floss.

#7 Post by **ReneG** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:42 am

Meryaten wrote:Rene - in your situation, was there also a bad odour from the inflamed and bleeding area? That was what I particularly found suggestive of infection, or even simply of something caught at the gumline.

Yes, there was bad odour from that area and mostly why I panicked. But apparently it wasn't infection... strange eh?

Bad odour from the area: I sniff a fingernail and verify it's ok smell wise, then stick that nail into the area between band and gum. Second sniff is baaad. Kinda like tonsoliths-bad.

#8 Post by **Grutty** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 6:42 am

Thanks for the info/advice everyone.

Flesh-was-sweet, no, I havent tried the salt water rinse, I will give it a try.

My ortho is only in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, so if my gum still hurts next week I will go back to the office. Hopefully my regular doctor will be more helpful than the other guy.

I think I might also tell my doctor how unsatisfied I was with the other guy. I didnt even tell you all the whole conversation we had; after he told me that I probably had food trapped in my band and there was nothing he could do, I asked "but couldnt trapped food damage my teeth or gums?" He replied "well, braces always do a certain amount of damage to your teeth. You cant expect your teeth to be as healthy after braces as they were before."

I never want this guy near my teeth again.