Question: How serious is a cut on the gum?
Explanation: Gum lacerations, or gingival lacerations, are tears of the tissue covering the alveolar bone. They accompany most significant dental trauma and range from small splits at the gum margin to degloving injuries where the tissue is stripped from the bone. The concern is not the laceration itself, which heals readily, but what lies beneath. An underlying alveolar bone fracture, a root fracture, or an embedded foreign body may be hidden. The wound is irrigated, explored, and repositioned over the bone with sutures. Radiographs are essential.
Related Questions:
Why do gum lacerations need investigating rather than just cleaning?
Because the gum tears where underlying bone has fractured or a tooth has been displaced. The laceration is often a marker of deeper injury. Failing to radiograph risks missing an alveolar fracture, which requires splinting, or a retained tooth fragment.
Do gum lacerations leave scars?
Rarely visible ones. Oral mucosa heals with minimal scarring, unlike skin, because of differences in fibroblast behaviour and the moist environment. However, a laceration left unsutured over exposed bone may heal with gum recession, exposing the root surface permanently.
How long do gum stitches take to dissolve?
Absorbable sutures used in the mouth typically dissolve within seven to fourteen days. Some resorb faster in the presence of saliva enzymes. If a suture is still present after three weeks or is causing irritation, a dentist can remove it. Do not pull at loose sutures yourself.
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