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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Signs and symptoms of trench mouth can include:
- Severe gum pain
- Bleeding from gums when they're pressed even slightly
- Red or swollen gums
- Pain when eating or swallowing
- A gray film on your gums
- Crater-like sores (ulcers) between your teeth and on your gums
- A foul taste in your mouth
- Bad breath
- Fever
- Swollen lymph nodes around your head, neck or jaw
When to see a dentist
Trench mouth symptoms can develop quickly. See your dentist immediately if you develop any symptoms. Often these may be symptoms of a gum problem other than trench mouth, such as gingivitis or periodontitis. But all forms of gum disease can be serious, and most tend to get worse without treatment. The sooner you seek care, the better your chance of returning your gums to a healthy state and preventing loss of teeth and destruction of bone or other tissue.
- Chow AW. Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of odontogenic infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- Wilder RS, et al. Gingivitis and periodontitis in adults: Classification and dental treatment. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 7, 2010.
- Gingivitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch095/ch095c.html?qt=trench%20mouth&alt=sh. Accessed July 21, 2010.
- Academy report. Treatment of plaque-induced gingivitis, chronic periodontitis, and other clinical conditions. Journal of Periodontology. 2001;72:1790.
- Informational paper. The pathogenesis of periodontal disease. Journal of Periodontology. 1999;70:457.
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