Teeth & Gums

[kerryp0607]

Hi I have stopped smoking for nearly 4 months now after 25 years. I am getting really bad aching in my gums and teeth and also a lot of blood when brushing and flossing. Is this normal and if so how long can I expect it to continue?

Many thanks

[glolin LONG TERM WINNER]

Hi Kerry and welcome to quit support.

Congratulations on making the decision to quit smoking and well done on getting to 4 months,

I myself haven't had trouble with gums however, there are many of members who have. Some have been to the dentist and have been told it is part of the healing process. It appears to be a very common symptom that people go through as part of the body recovering I have seen people mention 3 to 6 months before coming good but like all other symptoms of quitting it is different for all of us but all worth it If you are really concerned, talk to either your dentist or even GP to put your mind at ease

publish.uwo.ca/~jmymryk/con...

[monky Administrator Cake eater]

Hi Kerry a big massive well done to you for very nearly reaching 4 months quit and a big warm welcome to this lovely quit support forum

As Glolin has said, there are quite a few of our members who have suffered with bleeding gums and teeth

If you think about it Kerry, when we smoked, we smoked through our gums and teeth so our gums became hardened to the nicotine and all the other toxins that come with smoking So when we quit smoking, our gums become softer again, hence the bleeding

Maybe go see your local chemist and ask them for a mouth wash or something, perhaps buy a new softer toothbrush and use that for a bit until your gums get back to normal or take a trip to your dentist and ask there advice.

Kerry, if you could please let Jillygirl or myself know your quit date, then we can add you to the Wall of Winners and keep your badges up to date

Hope to speak soon, Pete

[glolin LONG TERM WINNER]

Kerry, I just remembered someone saying using a teething gel for babies helps sooth any pain in the gums...just a thought

[jillygirl Administrator Queen Bee]

Hi Kerry well done on being quit for over 3 months. Like Monky and Lin have said its not uncommon to have problems with your teeth and gums when quitting. Please be patient it does get better. xx

[Briarwood Administrator LONG TERM WINNER]

Hiya Kerry and welcome to quit support

Yes this is normal as I suffered a lot with my teeth and gums and it will settle down but I used a lot of different mouth washes and I found corsydl gel the best to rub on them as it's nice and cooling and relieves the pain

Congratulations on nearly 4 months quit, fantastic achievement

I know it's very painful and I even bought a baby's soft toothbrush at the time and warm salt water rinse is less irritating than some of the harsh mouthwashes

It honestly does settle down so hope you get relief soon x