Flux: how to get rid of it at home using soda

What is flux

Flux or periostitis is not a cosmetic defect; the gums and cheeks become swollen due to a damaged tooth, even if external signs of decay are not noticeable. The cause is always an infection that has entered the dental tissue as a result of caries, mechanical damage, sore throat, gum inflammation, etc.

Pathology develops against the background of poor oral hygiene - food remains between poorly brushed teeth, they rot, bacteria enter the surrounding bone and soft tissue, and cause inflammation. Similarly, infection occurs with caries.

Dental treatment

Symptoms

Periostitis affects the gums.
Visually, it resembles an inflamed abscess. May cause increased body temperature, swelling of the cheeks, lips, and neck. Always accompanied by pain. Pus is released from the flux. If the drainage channel has not yet formed, the patient can observe yellow-green contents under the mucous membranes of the gums.

The inflammatory process is strong, causing the immune system to mobilize. This results in increased fatigue and weakness.

It’s good if the periostitis breaks out. Then the cavity will cleanse itself naturally. But there is a possibility that pus gets into the facial tissues, reaches the bones, and penetrates the systemic bloodstream. Then there will be a threat to human life.

How to recognize developing flux

The sooner you start taking action, the better your chances of saving the tooth and avoiding surgery. Flux is far from harmless; neglected suppuration sometimes ends in sepsis with all the ensuing consequences.

Even before the tumor appears, characteristic symptoms appear:

• Weakness.
• Fever.
• Throbbing pain radiating to the head and ears.
• Inflammation of the lymph nodes.
• Bleeding and sore gums.
• Bad breath.
• Pain while chewing.

If you ignore the ailment, in the hope of being patient and cured with folk remedies, one day an asymmetrical tumor of the face will definitely appear.

As a rule, the mucous membrane around the tooth swells first, and a lump forms on the gum. After the flux has matured, a tumor forms on the lips, cheek, and under the eye if a tooth from the top row is diseased. When a tooth in the lower jaw is affected, swelling of the cheek and chin on one side is observed.

In children and the elderly, the symptoms do not appear as clearly as in middle-aged and young people, but the danger of pus penetrating into the body tissues is very high at any age.

Sometimes the flux becomes chronic, the tumor periodically appears and falls off. If a person does not see a doctor, the bone over the lesion gradually thickens and the inflammatory process continues. Poor oral hygiene and caries, as well as hypothermia, can provoke the formation of gumboil.

Attention! Do not under any circumstances try to puncture a swollen gum or squeeze pus out of it - you can introduce an infection into the surrounding tissue, and this is fraught with serious consequences.

Infected connective tissue becomes loose and soft. Severe pain appears, which can go away on its own or after painkillers. However, getting rid of discomfort does not mean that the infection is defeated - it sinks deeper and destroys the tooth root.

Take care of your teeth

Why you can’t treat gumboil yourself

Periostitis is a purulent disease. If treated incorrectly, it often causes dangerous complications. Therefore, dentists do not recommend that patients self-medicate. You can understand that the pathology has begun to progress rapidly by the following symptoms:

• severe weakness, increased physical fatigue;
• heat;
• severe swelling;
• headache;
• inability to chew food due to pain;
• facial distortion due to tumor.

With such symptoms, rinsing alone will not help. You need to urgently go to the doctor.

How does soda work for flux?

Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate has an antiseptic effect. The beneficial properties of weak alkali make it possible to effectively use the substance when you need to soothe itching, normalize the acidity of the stomach, relieve the burning sensation of heartburn, and disinfect skin lesions.

Sodium bicarbonate is commonly used to whiten teeth and eliminate bad breath. At home, a solution of soda can relieve the inflammatory process and reduce gumboil, but to reliably eliminate the causes and prevent consequences, go to the dentist as soon as possible.

Causes of pathology

Before we tell you how to rinse flux, let’s explain why it occurs. Among the main reasons:

• progressive caries, when microorganisms from the resulting cavity penetrate the pulp and roots;
• poor-quality filling of teeth and canals;
• decreased immunity;
• inflammatory gum disease that has a chronic course;
• dominance of pathogenic microflora in the oral cavity.

It is necessary to establish the cause of the disease and only then treat it. Then the risk of flux recurrence will be much lower.

How to remove gumboil and pain before seeing a doctor

Traditional and pre-medical methods will be useful to pacify the pain, but do not relax and do not wait for a new outbreak of inflammation - go to the doctor. The sooner you do this, the higher the likelihood that the tooth will be saved.

Soda-salt rinse

The solution will disinfect and reduce pain, swelling will gradually subside.

• In a glass of boiled water at a pleasant temperature, dissolve a teaspoon of soda, the same amount of salt and a drop or two of iodine. Rinse your mouth at least 8-9 times a day. The pain and swelling will subside, gradually reduce the number of rinses to two or three.

Soda lotion

The lotion can be applied at night; it will draw pus from the bone and alleviate suffering.

• Soak gauze or bandage in boiled water. Wrap some baking soda in a cloth and apply it to the sore gum. You need to keep the lotion for at least an hour and a half and repeat the procedure three times a day.

The lotions should be stopped when the abscess opens, otherwise an infection may get into the wound.

Attention! Do not heat the flux and do not use hot water for rinsing and lotions. Under the influence of heat, inflammation progresses.

Ointments and gels

Local use of ointments for periostitis contributes to the rapid extinction of inflammatory processes, faster healing of damaged tissues, and effective elimination of pain.

Vishnevsky ointment

With flux, Vishnevsky ointment can stop the development of the purulent process, quickly eliminate tissue swelling and relieve toothache. The xeroform included in the drug has an antibacterial effect, birch tar increases blood flow at the site of injury, and castor oil promotes deeper penetration of medicinal components.

Vishnevsky ointment is used in the initial stages of the disease or after opening the abscess. The drug is applied to a sterile small gauze pad and applied to the skin of the cheek in the area of ​​inflammation for several hours.

You cannot use Vishnevsky ointment if you suspect the presence of a purulent focus at the site of periostitis. This can cause worsening of the condition and the development of complications.

Metrogyl denta

The drug is available in the form of a gel, which contains antibacterial components: metronidazole and chlorhexidine. Therapeutic substances penetrate perfectly into the source of inflammation, quickly relieve pain, eliminate tissue swelling and prevent the development of purulent complications. The gel is generously applied directly to the gum mucosa above the site of periostitis. After using it, you should refrain from drinking or eating for at least 30 minutes. The procedure is repeated three times a day until the inflammatory reactions subside.

Levomekol

The ointment contains ingredients that have a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity and promote rapid tissue regeneration. Levomekol does not lose its properties in the presence of pus, therefore it is preferable in cases where it was not possible to avoid the process of suppuration. The ointment is used three times a day. It is applied to a sterile gauze or cotton swab and applied to the flux for 2-3 hours. If a purulent focus has been opened, the drug can be injected directly into the resulting cavity. It is necessary to treat dental flux with Levomekol until complete recovery.

Effective remedies for relieving toothache and gumboil

You can rinse your mouth for toothache and gumboil with soda, salt, herbal decoctions and pharmaceutical preparations.

Baking soda

The effectiveness of sodium bicarbonate has been tested in practice; rinsing quickly relieves pain and accelerates the maturation of an abscess.

• Dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda in a glass of hot boiled water. Let cool to room temperature. Rinse your mouth for 20 minutes, spitting out the solution every minute.

Furacilin

Furacilin or nitrofural is used in dentistry as a local broad-spectrum antiseptic.

• Dissolve two furatsilin tablets in half a glass of warm water. Tablets can be replaced with a ready-made pharmaceutical solution of 0.02 percent concentration. Rinse for 15 minutes every couple of hours.

You can enhance the effect by pre-rinsing with soda.

Potassium permangantsovka

Calcium permanganate is a well-known disinfectant that should always be in your home medicine cabinet.

• Thoroughly dissolve several crystals of potassium permanganate in a glass of warm water, making sure that no grains remain. Rinse your mouth with a faint pink solution for 10 minutes at intervals of two hours.

Table or sea salt

Stops the development of inflammation, disinfects and quickly relieves pain.

• Dissolve a tablespoon of kitchen or sea salt in a glass of water at room temperature. Continue rinsing until the pain goes away.

If there are ulcers or other lesions in the mouth, salt rinsing is contraindicated.

Peroxide

The antiseptic and healing properties of hydrogen peroxide are actively used in traditional medicine. Peroxide softens tissues, cleanses them of purulent secretions and opens the way to the source of inflammation.

• Dissolve a teaspoon of pharmacy peroxide in a glass of water and rinse your mouth. After this procedure, it is recommended to rinse with a chlorhexidine solution.

Chlorhexidine

Sold without a prescription and used to eliminate inflammation caused by many pathogens. The advantage of this antiseptic is its long-lasting action and proven effectiveness.

• Rinse your mouth with boiled water. Pour chlorhexidine into a tablespoon and rinse your mouth for about half a minute. Repeat twice or thrice. The procedure can be performed up to three times a day.

After rinsing, do not brush your teeth or eat for at least one hour. Also try not to use toothpaste immediately before rinsing - the ingredients in toothpastes reduce the effectiveness of chlorhexidine. If you experience discomfort on the oral mucosa while rinsing, dilute the substance with water.

Attention! Chlorhexidine is prohibited for internal use, although a few drops of the substance cannot cause harm to health. If you accidentally swallow the substance, rinse your stomach and take activated charcoal.

Sagebrush

The plant has the ability to quickly relieve pain and relieve inflammation.

• Pour a tablespoon of dry herb into a glass of boiling water. Leave covered for 30-40 minutes. Rinse with infusion or apply as a lotion to a sore tooth.

Sage

A well-known “dental herb” with an active anti-inflammatory effect. The alkaloids in sage quickly relieve pain.

• Pour boiling water over three to four tablespoons of dry sage herb, let it brew and cool to room temperature. Rinse your mouth for at least 20-25 minutes and repeat rinsing until the pain goes away.

In addition to the listed medicinal plants, you can use collections and decoctions of other herbs. Rinsing with infusions of St. John's wort, mint, elderberry, chamomile, lemon balm, calendula, and oak bark eases the condition. They can be brewed separately or mixed.

Folk recipes

Herbs and plant extracts have a beneficial effect on oral tissues. They can be used to relieve inflammation. When dealing with flux, you should arm yourself with:

• Oak bark. An infusion is prepared from it: pour two spoons into 200 ml of boiling water and wait for one hour. After filtering, the composition is ready for use. All products based on oak bark stain teeth. This is their significant drawback.
• Sage. You should mix a teaspoon of aromatic dry raw materials with a glass of hot boiling water. After half an hour, filter. During the procedure, the medicine should be slightly warm.
• Chamomile. Very popular for various dental diagnoses. Excellently suppresses inflammatory processes. Antiseptic. It can be combined with string and yarrow. The preparation recipe is standard: a tablespoon of vegetable mixture per glass of boiling water.
• Propolis. Suitable for making tinctures with alcohol. It must be infused strictly at room temperature. Dilute a teaspoon in a cup of water and rinse the flux in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Rules for using flux soda

Soda helps relieve pain and reduce swelling, sometimes it is possible to completely get rid of the gumboil, but the reason for its appearance will remain and sooner or later everything will happen again. It will not be possible to solve the problem without a dentist, so do not delay your visit. In the meantime, please note a few rules:

• Do not prepare the baking soda solution ahead of time. A portion should be used during one procedure, then the alkali loses its beneficial properties.
• It is advisable to use solutions rather than applications so that the soda powder does not burn the mucous membrane.
• Do not increase the concentration of the solution - the therapeutic effect will not become greater.
• The temperature of the solution should be about 20-22 oC.
• Try not to drink or eat for at least 40-60 minutes so that the substance has time to take effect.

Take care of your teeth

Recommendations after opening the flux

When the first symptoms of flux development appear, you should not self-medicate. It is a mistake to believe that swelling and pain can be relieved with warm compresses, lotions based on herbal infusions or other folk remedies. Independent experiments aimed at combating flux can lead to complications.

It is important to remember that you should not take painkillers less than 3 hours before visiting the dentist. Otherwise, there will be problems with making a diagnosis. After the tooth flux has been exposed, you should not take aspirin, as it increases the risk of bleeding. If after 12 hours the condition has not improved, you should consult a doctor immediately.

Contraindications

There are practically no contraindications to the use of sodium bicarbonate, but only if the dosages and rules of use are observed. In some cases, soda is contraindicated:

• Young children cannot rinse their mouths on their own. There is a risk that the child will swallow the solution, and this is undesirable.
• If you have been to the dentist and your gums have been cut or a tooth has been removed, you do not need to rinse your mouth with baking soda. The lye will soften the blood clot protecting the wound, and bleeding may begin.
• You can rinse several times a day, but the interval between procedures should not be less than two hours. With more frequent use, the mucous membrane will dry out.
• Stomach ulcer is another contraindication. In this case, getting soda into the stomach is extremely undesirable.
• Sodium bicarbonate rinses should not be used if you have a soda allergy or diabetes.

We hope our recommendations will be useful, and if necessary, you will ease your suffering before going to the dentist. Tell us about your experience and don't forget to like it.

Antibiotics

The use of antibiotics is an important point in successful flux therapy. At an early stage, these medications can stop the spread of infection and prevent the appearance of an abscess. At later stages, when a purulent focus has already formed, antibacterial drugs are prescribed after opening it to prevent complications and speedy recovery.

Antibiotics for gumboils should not be taken independently. Only a dentist can give a recommendation which drug should be taken and in what dosage. This will depend on the patient’s age and weight, his condition and the presence of drug intolerance.

The most commonly used antibacterial agents for flux:

• Lincomycin
• Amoxicillin
• Tsiprolet
• Amoxiclav
• Doxycycline
• Ciprofloxacin
• Trichopolum
• Flemoxin solutab
• Biseptol
• Levomycetin

Antibacterial drugs should not be used for less than 5-7 days or stopped after the condition improves. This can cause drug resistance in the microorganism that caused the flux, and lead to loss of effectiveness of the drug if the disease reoccurs.