24 years of itching gums! Can you explain it?

My INTENSE gum itch began before I had any kind of filling or anything. I was in grade school and had had regular dental cleanings with no cavities or anything. My son is experiencing the same symptoms in the same exact spot. He began to experience the symptoms at about age 8. He has cleanings every 6 months and has no gum disease or fillings or anything.

Still suffering! My dentist consulted about the Botox possibility and it apparently does NOT deaden the sensation. We tried shooting a laser into the spot and it actually made the itch flair up. We tried "hacking" deep down in the area where the itch seems to be originating and while it felt good, it did not make any difference. I have shoved the acupuncture needles down so deep and that was feeling really good as far as getting to the itch, but I never managed to stop the itch and as ya'll know, finding a way to really get at the itch just tends to stimulate the itch and make you need to get at it even more. I got a "spacer" from my son's orthodontist (the kind they stuck between his teeth before they could put his braces on because his teeth were so tightly pressed together) and shoving it between my teeth (like I used to do with fingernails, credit cards or anything else I could shove between the two teeth) forces them to move and is incredibly painful and yet also extremely wonderful at itching the spot. The problem is that once I pull the spacer out and my teeth snap back together, the itch just intensifies and I need to shove things down between the teeth again to keep the teeth "moving" to itch down in the gum. Once I get the gum good and itchy all over, if I "knock" on my teeth, it feels great. But again...doesn't solve anything. I just have to keep knocking. One hygienist I had literally scooped deep down around the entire tooth....deeper than I ever thought possible and she went all the way around both of my bottom front teeth (the worst itch is between those 2 teeth) and she scraped the heck out of those teeth in case there was any kind of miniscule tartar or anything. I will say that this was the first time my gums actually HURT (from scraping the sides of the tooth where it does not really itch) and it was the most FABULOUS feeling because it was the first time in my life I did not have the urge to itch. (Apparently in the human sensation hierarchy, pain overrides itch. So causing the genuine pain in the nearby spot overrode the itch in the middle. I'm not into inflicting pain or masochism or anything. But this one particular situation was one in which the pain was something I would gladly take on if it would override this intense itch! I plan to ask for the same hygienist next visit.)
I notice that a lot of people have found little individual adjustments or unique characteristics or circumstances that they discover seems to explain their itch and in some cases relieve it. I am THRILLED for you and appreciate any and all suggestions or shared experiences. But PLEASE.....the next person who wants to suggest that it is yeast, gum disease, allergy...PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THAT IS NOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT the explanation for those of us who are experiencing this to the extreme. Many of us have been to a dozen or more highly competent dentists, allergists,ent's, periodontists, endocrinologists, psychologists or psychiatrists, and any other specialized medical experts you can imagine. I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland and have seen top specialists at Johns Hopkins, Bethesda Naval Medical as well as specialists in Boston, Dallas and Houston...including specialists who tried 100% holistic healing and even biofeedback. With the utmost gratitude for ya'll's good intentions, IT IS NOT solved with vitamins, dietary restrictions, special mouthwashes or toothpastes. It is NOT sinus related. It is NOT allergy related. It is NOT related to any substances in our mouths. It is NOT related to dental procedures. It is NOT related to FD&C Red # 485.684 or any other specific ingredient. It is NOT related to PMS, hormones, sleep, diet, moon cycles, pets, region of the world in which we live, how we chew, whether or not we can stand on our head and spit wooden nickels, how much water we drink, gum disease (not one of us with extreme itching has any indication of gum disease and with as many of us as there are...and with as many multiple opinions we have all received....I simply do not believe that we have all just seen completely incompetent medical personnel).
YES there may be some people who have found relief after they stop drinking soda or take an antihistamine or changing some medication or who discover periodontal disease or sinus issues or yeast or whatever. If your gum itching is solved by any of these suggestions I am THRILLED for you and as I said, I sincerely appreciate your best intention to help us find relief. But with my deep appreciation for your good intentions, I must honestly suggest that if you have found relief from anything that has been posted thus far, YOU DO NOT HAVE WHAT WE HAVE!!!!
I'm sorry to sound so bitter. I SINCERELY appreciate ANYthing that ANYONE has experienced that has worked! Please keep the suggestions coming! But please...please...NOBODY EVER AGAIN tell me that it "IS" allergy, sinus, periodontal or anything else just because that may be the case for you. IF ONLY!!!!! I'd give ANYTHING to discover that hundreds of top medical experts I've seen over three decades are all actually completely incompetent and that rinsing with organic mouthwash laced with a vitamin is the solution. But I assure you that WE HAVE ALL RULED THESE THINGS OUT!
(Those of you who have the extreme situation surely understand I am not trying to be ungrateful or hateful. I am just SOOOOOOOOOOOOO frustrated!!!!!!!!!!)
I will concede that for me personally, I suspect that whatever is causing the haywire itching...it seems that the ONLY thing at this point that is keeping me from taking a meat cleaver and hacking it straight between my teeth; hammering a 6inch nail straight down into my gum; or sawing thru my gums and jawbone until the saw comes out the other side of my SKULL...is to have ZERO contact with the itchy spot. I mean obviously when we eat and drink or talk or whatever, there will be things that contact the itchy spot. But I have literally had to stop flossing or even allowing my toothbrush to touch that one spot. I brush and floss my entire mouth as I always have and worried that not flossing between my two front bottom teeth would cause me to get a cavity or gum disease....but you know what?...I've discovered that when I go to the dentist after 6 months, they clean that area reallllllllllllllllllllllllly hard and then I itch that spot until I want to rip my teeth out for the next week or so. But if I can MAKE myself not make anyyyyyyy contact with that spot, it is the ONLY way I can go an extended period of time without it flaring up. It is as difficult as I imagine it must be to stop smoking or any kind of addiction. But if I can make myself not stimulate the area in any way, it keeps me from those horrible bouts of stabbing and mutilating my gum non stop, only to make it worse and worse. (Thinking about it now is making me fight the urge to itch the spot. It has become that much of an obsessive/compulsive facet or addiction!)
I never got a response from the "world renowned" itching sensation specialist. But I'm NEVER going to stop searching for relief!!!!

A few months ago I found this thread and was so happy to learn that I was not alone in my insane gum hot spots that itch so bad. The only thing that would help was to scratch them with a brush pick until they bleed. An action which I have dubbed "the bloodletting." Well I found a cure for myself. It was based on the one dentist's comment on this thread that it was so obvious to him that what we were suffering from was yeast. Last winter I was suffering from yeast in various other body parts and I combat it with coconut oil. So the thought that it could be as simple as that was wonderful. I added I teaspoon of organic virgin coconut oil (mine was from trader joe's) to my morning coffee. The next morning I was amazed to feel no itch! The lack of itch lasted about 2 weeks! So at the first sign of it starting again, I did it again...same results-no itch for a couple weeks! I have done this now for 2 months and it manages my symptoms beautifully. Tastes great and is all natural and makes my lips nice and soft. I still add creamer to my coffee and even though you can see the oil floating on top, it is still wonderful once you get used to the texture. I notice that the next day I wake up with a disgusting film in my mouth and I can only assume that is the yeast die off. Google coconut oil and yeast. There is tons of info. Work up your amount slowly since the yeast die off can make you sick like the flu. Start with just a tad and work up slowly until you find your right amount. I hope this helps someone else. I am overjoyed to be completely free of this horrible problem.

To the person that has the itch in their lower front teeth....I understand you completely!!!! I have the same exact problem, but mine is in a different location. I actually asked my dentist to just pull my tooth out, as I was desperate to just get to the spot to itch it or mutilate it to my hearts content. My dentist refused. He said he could not in good conscious pull a tooth that did not show any signs of decay. I HATE this itch and it consumes allot of my time. I too, have found that if I have zero contact with the spot, it helps. But sometimes it gets aggravated through brushing or eating or whatever and then I cant think of anything else but the itching. Sometimes its so bad that I even dream about it. When I try to tell my dentist about the spot, he gives a look to his assistant like I'm crazy. Nobody believes me. I have noticed that when I was on narcotic pain medication for 24 hrs following a surgery I had, that I didn't have any itching whatsoever. Interestingly, I still had the pain from the surgery (but just didn't care about it so much because of the medication) . So I'm not sure if the real source of the itching is physical or neurological. Whatever it is, I hope someone finds a reason and cure for it soon!!!

I'm not alone. After much analyzing and seeing different doctors (without results) it appears that my triggers are spice related. Pepper and spicy spices only. Although, recently, fresh fruit might have been added to the mix. When I avoid spicy foods (so difficult now that I live in AZ) I get such a nice relief from itching my gums. I carry with me a metal pick like the dentists use, just to I can clean out (lies, ITCH - aka scratch!) underneath my gums. :-/

As many of you have already said, I am so relieved and suprised that I am not alone!I've had itchy gums in several spots since I was about 3 years old. I started my bad habbit of picking at them by using my hair to "floss" very aggressively at them. I didn't have many items to choose from at that age. My parents never understood, always yelling at me for "eating my hair". The worst spots are behind my top canine teeth. They itch like crazy right now. I can't concentrate on anything but the itch. Every few months the itching comes back but I'm not sure how long it lasts for.I cannot wait until someone finds a cure for this and I hope some of my included information will help you to find one. I am an 18 year old female.  My dentist says my teeth and gums appear to be in great health. I have some sensitivity to cold foods like ice cream straight from the freezer, but the sensitivity is not in the same spot as the itch. I had braces for about a year and a half and have been wearing a retainer nightly since then. I was born with an irregular heartbeat and extra sinuses. The irregular heartbeat was fixed. My sinuses stay very clogged for almost a month after I am done with a cold (currently getting over one right now). I don't know if I have ever had a sinus infection, but, on average I need to blow my nose once a day, year round. I get very severe migranes every couple of months. I don't have OCD. I took birth control pills for about a year, but it did not seem to have any affect on the itchiness.

I am a man and I suffer from this too. Until I read these posts I thought I was the only one going through this! I just got my teeth cleaned four days ago and since then the itching has been unbearable. I think it is some kind of bacteria because eating sugary foods makes it worse instantly. I have gotten flareups for days at a time throughout my life, and then it won't be a problem for months. What do we do about it?

I HV ITTCHING IN GUMS AND SMILE IN MOUTH......PLZ WHAT CAN I DO.

My 7 and a half yr old daughter has been complaining of itchy gums since she was 6. It's always the same spot. Her top front tooth. She picks at the gums on top of it until she breaks the skin. It's not constant as it comes and goes. I work for a pediatric dentist who doesn't have an answer like most dentists and I spoken to another dentist too with the same results. I wish I could help her but I don't know what to do. There are no white spots, no colds... I'm clueless. Why is this so unheard of if so many people are suffering from it?

Hi! it's relieving to hear that another young child has this issue after hearing so many young adults and older adults reported here. Have you found anything at all that you can share? I would hate for my daughter to suffer with this for the rest of her life. She is only 7.5 yrs old. I just wish someone could help.

Hello I too have had itchy gums, but it comes and goes I have been sick with an sinus infection and just as the infection is leaving my body my botton gums began to itch it has never lasted more than a day or two but this time it did and I was desprate to get them to stop. I really felt like my nerves were getting a little worked up. So I took my mothers advice and took two St John's Wort (300 mg) which is a mood support and a natural way to relax. Next I was putting lip balm on and missed my lips and wind up putting lip balm on my bottom teeth to my surprise the itching stopped! the itching returned the next day this time I put (Chap-Ice medicated lip balm) across my botton gums and the itching stop so you might want to try this home remedy that worked for me....

Its a lack of vit C

I too have been experiencing itching gums for the past four years or so. I've seen dentist after dentist and they are left just as confused as I am. However, I think I may have found an answer to my (and hopefully your) problem! Just today, the itch was bothering me so much I started taking ice cubes and putting them onto my gums. This hurt for awhile, but I was able to withstand it in order to make my gums somewhat numb. I was just getting ready to get up and get to bed, when one of the ice cubes in my mouth ended up resting on my front tooth (which is below the itchy gum line that's been driving me nuts) for a few seconds. It sent a seering pain that seemed to shoot right through my tooth up to gums. The pain was almost pleasurable (it seemed to "hit the spot" if that makes sense). Right after, I tried to poke the gum line with my toungue to itch it (like I always do), and I no longer got that itching-pleasure feeling. Though I'm sure I will wake up in the morning with that itchy sensation back, I think that I've discovered something that could be very important. That maybe this horrible itching sensation is not caused by something wrong with the gums, but the tooth itself. I'm thinking this has something to do with tooth sensitivity, so I'm going to try to start using special tooth sensitive toothpaste and see if that works. I truly hope it does because this has been bothering me for years, and I'm sick of it! I hope this helps someone out there!!

Hi everyone, I too have this very annoying itchy gum problem. I have always had problems but it seemed to only happen once a month. Here recently, over the last year, it has been almost impossible to deal with. I was drinking a lot of green tea and eating a lot of fruit at the time and finally Googled green apples and itchy gums. I found that it must have been an allergy I have been dealing with. I went to the allergist, took an allergy test and have been getting allergy shots for about 6 months. My quality of life is much better after I get a shot but I do still have issues. I am convinced I have a number of food allergies but I just don't know what all they are, yet. My recommendation to all that reads this is to get an allergy test done and see if this helps. I would also say to those that use listerine or mouthwash to try to not use this for a while and see if that helps. I have always found it to be an irritant to my gums. I hope this helps.

I have one molar that has an itching gum. The tooth in front was extracted years ago. I have times when I prod it with a pin in the curve in the middle of the tooth up to the gum. The dentist took x rays and so forth and nothing showed up. I try to leave it alone, although there are times I must "scratch" it. I place Panadol against the gum and let it dissolve. Why does this one nerve in the gum give me so much grief? Like a writer earlier said, the relief of pain is almost the same as sex. Maybe a more masochistic - sex variant, but no doubt a stimulation to the brain from nerve ending chemical/neurological stimulation of nerve endings to generate the chemical reaction to excite our brain. I must admit this is so boring. Some sort of 'orgasm', no STD's, no babies, no partner with whom you are cheating, no extramarital affairs, abuse of people in the wrong way; hey, may be this is the new age of human pleasure. Find the nerve in your gum and get excited. Involve nobody else, stay pure and dentate.
I would still rather be without the annoyance of this gum problem.
Roger.
Mill Park, Victoria, Australia.