pain between molar band and 2nd molar

[fldhkybnva]

hi! for the past few days when i eat and afterwards and when i floss i have a horrible ache in my gum between the molar band and the 2nd molar. is there anyway to tell if this is a cavity or is it normal to feel gum pain? i will add that i recently switched from triangle build elastics to class III elastics and my quad helix was expanded.

[jaswi]

If I were to guess, I'd say there is probably a little infection/inflammation right there and when you floss it irritates it. I'd just keep trying to floss it and clean it good for the next couple weeks and see if the pain gets better and goes away.

[Lisa65]

Cavities don't develop just overnight. Run your finger along the gum where the pain is, and sniff it (sorry, I know it's gross). Does it smell bad?If so, then you probably have a piece of debris stuck in the crevice which normal brushing and flossing haven't reached, and it's setting up a bit of inflammation. This isn't an infection (yet) but it could become one.

The knotted floss trick works, although it hurts like heck. Get a long piece of dental floss and tie about 3 double knots in the middle of it so it looks like this ------@--@--@------ Now, thread the floss through the gap until the first knot is up against your gum. Then jerk it through so the knots pull through the space. Do this a couple of times. It will hurt and it might bleed a little. The bleeding indicates your gum is swollen and inflamed. You might also find that floss smells terrible once it's been through, indicating that the crud has been removed.

If you have any hydrogen peroxide or peroxyl mouthwash, rinse with that. The oxygen released by peroxide will help kill off the smelly anaerobic bacteria which generally cause gum infections. If you don't have this available and your gum feels sore, swish with warm salt water a couple of times a day until the swelling and pain go.