Pregnancy Granuloma: What Is That Growth On Your Gum?
While you are pregnant, it is important you do as much as you can to take care of your body. This includes oral care, and any gum swelling or growths on the gum must be seen by your dentist as soon as possible. Gum swelling is often seen in the second trimester of pregnancy, but a growth on your gum could be a visible sign of pregnancy granuloma. While you should not immediately stress out about the growth, it is not a condition that should be ignored.
What Is Pregnancy Granuloma?
Pregnancy granuloma is also known as a pregnancy tumour, but the good news is they are not actually cancerous. A pregnancy granuloma is a growth that will cause you some discomfort in the mouth, but it is not a life-threatening medical condition.
What Does It Look Like?
Pregnancy granuloma looks like small red nodules that are clumped together in one area along the gum. They can be found anywhere within the mouth, but most often they are located in the upper gum area.
Any raised, swollen area of the gum could contain a pregnancy granuloma. When disturbed with a toothbrush, the area will bleed easily. This bleeding point will heal and crust over until it is disturbed again.
How Did It Happen?
If you already have less than perfect dental habits, and you have plaque and tartar buildup, then you could experience a pregnancy granuloma. This is because your body is already in a state of change because of your changing hormone levels. These changing levels make a mouth more susceptible to gingivitis.
When your gum overreacts to plaque and tartar that is living in your mouth, the pregnancy granuloma growths can occur.
Does The Growth Need To Be Removed?
Some growths disappear on their own after the pregnancy is complete, and it is hoped not put your body through the trauma of removing this growth while you are pregnant. But, if the gum growth causes interference to your eating or drinking, then your dentist will need to remove it. While this is a very small surgical procedure, it can put you under more stress, which is something to be avoided while you are pregnant.
It pays to keep up to date with your dental cleaning, particularly if you plan to get pregnant in the future. However, now that you know more about the growth that has appeared on your gums, you must make an appointment with your family dentist to discuss whether it needs to be removed or not.
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