Pericoronaritis (also known as pericoronitis) is an infection that occurs when a tooth erupts and becomes partially covered by the gum. Such infection occurs in the gum tissues that cover the tooth.
It usually occurs in patients between 18 and 29 years of age, during the growth of wisdom teeth. There are also cases of pericoronaritis in children, when their permanent molars are born after the baby teeth fall out, although it is not the most frequent.
Causes of pericoronaritis infection
Pericoronaritis usually affects the gum surrounding the last lower molars, especially in cases where tooth eruption cannot occur properly due to lack of space in the gums. Thus the teeth become crooked or are retained and partially covered by gum tissue (periodontal tissue).
As the tooth is trapped by the periodontal tissue, it is easier for bacteria to accumulate, thus favoring these infections.
Symptoms of pericoronaritis
Pericoronaritis first manifests itself with pain in the jaw that will gradually radiate to other parts of the body.
Thus, all the signs that may indicate pericoronaritis are:
- Pain in the temporomandibular joint that may eventually radiate to other organs and tissues, such as the ear.
- Inflammation and redness of the gum tissue covering the molar.
- Pus formation in the affected gum tissue.
- Bad breath due to infection.
- Discomfort when speaking, chewing, swallowing and moving the jaw in general.
- If the infection is not treated, a general malaise and fever characteristic of an infection may also develop.
- In severe cases, an abscess or phlegmon may develop in the gum or in the throat and pharynx.
- In the long term, untreated pericoronaritis can also lead to other oral pathologies such as: periodontal diseases(gingivitis and periodontitis), throat diseases (pharyngitis and tonsillitis) or digestive problems.
It should be noted that the symptoms of pericoronaritis can vary considerably in each patient depending on the degree of severity: although the infection may present only mild pain, approximately half of the cases of pericoronaritis will eventually develop severe pain if the infection is not treated.
Can pericoronaritis be prevented?
In addition to controlling the growth of wisdom teeth, we should pay special attention to people who are prone to plaque accumulation, as they will develop pericoronaritis more easily. That is why taking care of dental hygiene is key to prevent this pathology: by means of a good oral cleaning routine both at the dental clinic and at home, we will eliminate food debris and avoid the accumulation of bacteria that favor this and other dental pathologies.
Steps to treat pericoronaritis
If you have one or more of the symptoms described above, we recommend that you consult with one of our gum or general dentistry specialists. A first visit will assess the severity of the infection and the treatment to be followed to eradicate it, which consists of the following steps:
- First, a professional dental cleaning and surgical drainage of the affected area will be performed. In this way, the mouth is cleaned of food debris and bacterial plaque to prevent it from worsening the diagnosis or causing new infections in the future.
- Next, the patient should maintain thorough oral hygiene, including thorough and careful tooth brushing after every meal and rinsing with mouthwashes containing chlorhexidine, which is essential to reduce inflammation.
- In more acute cases, we may recommend antibiotics, analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs to treat the discomfort of the infection.
- When the infection has subsided, we will assess the need to remove the gum tissue covering the erupting tooth. This is a very simple surgery that will serve to prevent new infections.
- Finally, in cases where the molars cannot finish growing without complications due to lack of space, we will recommend their extraction.
To detect these infections in time and prevent them from worsening and affecting other tissues, it is very important to attend regular dental checkups, as well as to visit our dental clinic in Barcelona when the first symptoms appear.
