What Is Trench Mouth?

Trench mouth is a kind of gum disease that is different from normal periodontitis. It’s an acute infection, which means it can be triggered quickly and can also quickly cause serious damage to your gums and teeth. If you suspect trench mouth, you need to periodontist immediately.

Symptoms of Trench Mouth

Trench mouth is more formally known by a few different names. Most commonly it’s called acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis (ANUG). It’s a serious form of gum disease, so many of the symptoms are similar to those of other forms of periodontitis, such as:

• Severe gums
• Bleeding gums, though in ANUG, the bleeding occurs even with minor pressure
• Red and swollen gums
• Pain when eating or swallowing
• Bad taste in the mouth
• Bad breath

However, you might also notice other symptoms that distinguish trench mouth from regular gum disease, such as:

• Gray film on the gums
• Holes in the gums between teeth
• Fever
• Fatigue
• Swollen lymph nodes

These symptoms should be taken very seriously and treated quickly.

Who Is at Risk for Trench Mouth?

Trench mouth got its name because it was common among soldiers in WWI who were subjected to very unhealthy conditions. These soldiers combined the typically poor oral hygiene of the early part of the century with poor nutrition, exhaustion, and exposure to a wide range of pathogens that wore down their immune systems.

These days, trench mouth has become relatively rare in the US, but you are still at risk if you:

• Have poor nutrition
• Practice poor oral hygiene
• Are a smoker
• Are under stress
• Have a weakened immune system, whether due to medications or HIV/AIDS
• Have other infections in the area, such as an infected tooth
• Have diabetes

Most people can fight off the infection before it really takes hold, but in people with the above problems, trench mouth can become very serious quite quickly.

If you suspect trench mouth or another form of gum disease, please call (310) 275-5325 for an appointment with a Beverly Hills Nicolas A. Ravon, DDS, MSD.

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