Inflammation (also known as swelling) is a normal reaction to your body's possible injury.
It affects many parts of your body, including your mouth. At first, inflammation helps to heal the body or injury. However, if your body is unable to repair itself and return to normal, you may encounter some problems in addition to inflammation.
There are two types of inflammation: acute and chronic.
Acute inflammation usually heals after a few days. For example, if you burn your mouth with too hot coffee, you may find red, swollen, hot and painful burns. This inflammation is normal and helps to heal burned areas. In a few days, it will disappear.
Chronic inflammation in the mouth can be long-lasting and can lead to serious health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and even some forms of cancer. This type of inflammation is most commonly caused by gums (periodontal disease) that occur when your body tries to remove oral bacteria that cause gum infections. Over time, this type of inflammation can cause serious damage to the gums, bones, and structures that support the teeth. Severe cases can eventually lead to tooth loss.
