Dr Timothy Robison

Your Mouth and World War I

Could your mouth be fighting World War I? Commonly called "trench mouth," Vincent's stomatitis is a severe gum infection that plagued soldiers during WWI. Many soldiers were confined to trenches while fighting the War; their bodys' resistance was low, and they couldn't take care of their teeth.

Vincent's stomatitis typically affects people up to about 35 years of age. This is a serious condition also known as ANUG—acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.

Your mouth contains millions of bacteria, most of which keep the bad bacteria under control. Vincent’s stomatitis is an indication that the bad bacteria won the war in your mouth.

These bacteria attack and destroy your gum tissue. Trench mouth produces ulcers filled with bacteria, food particles and dead gum tissue. As you can imagine, this results in very bad breath and extreme pain. If the infection is not halted, it spreads rapidly and destroys other soft oral tissues, such as your cheeks and tongue. You could even lose teeth. If these bacteria enter your bloodstream, they will travel to other parts of your body and do more damage.

You could be at risk of having trench mouth if your oral hygiene and diet are bad, if you chew or smoke tobacco, or your immune system is weak because of an illness. Emotional stress and insufficient vitamin C also have a major impact on the health of your gums.

WWI soldiers didn't have any options. But you have many oral product options to help you have clean teeth and gums.

If you have trench mouth, we first have to get the infection stopped, which can be done only with a professional cleaning and treatments. Then, it's up to you to maintain a rigorous oral homecare routine: Brush twice each day with a soft-bristle toothbrush, and floss at least once each day. We may recommend a special mouthwash for a period of time so that you don't irritate the healing tissues.

Call us right away if you are experiencing anything out of the ordinary in your mouth. The quicker we can intervene, the faster we can return you to good health!