Pericoronitis.pdf

Pericoronitis Treatment

WLAC Dental Hygiene Program

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Improvement of oral hygiene to keep the area clean.

Ana de Lourdes Rodriguez

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Frequent rinsing with warm salt water to sooth the

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patient. External application of heat should be avoided since it promotes spread of infection towards the facial skin. References

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Soft diet to avoid further irritation of the gum tissue.

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Analgesics for temporary pain relief.

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Antibiotic therapy .

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Excision of the pericoronal flap of gum tissue (if the dentist decides to not extract the tooth immediately).

Magraw, C., Golden, B., Phillips, C., Tang, D., & White, R. (2014). Pain with Pericoronitis Affects Quality of Life. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 72(9). doi:10.1016/j.joms.2014.06.052

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Drainage, if an abscess has developed.

Newman, M. (2015). Acute Gingival infections. In Carranza's Clinical Periodontology, 12th Edition. Elsevier Health Sciences.

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Extraction of the impacted tooth. The most severe cases when the swelling and infection has spread to the neck may need to be treated in a hospital with intravenous antibiotics.

Kang, F., Huang, C., Sah, M. K., & Jiang, B. (2016). Effect of Eruption Status of the Mandibular Third Molar on Distal Caries in the Adjacent Second Molar. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 74(4), 684-692. doi:10.1016/j.joms.2015.11.024

What is Pericoronitis? (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2016, from http://www.dentaldiseases.org/conditions/gums/pericoronitis.htm

PERICORONITIS

Prevention of Pericoronitis The only thing a patient with an impacted tooth can do to prevent pericoronitis is to take extra care for the oral hygiene around that tooth, and try to avoid injuring the area with hard foods. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to prevent the impaction of a tooth.

PERICORONITIS

Pericoronitis Symptoms 

Pain

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In the area of the affected tooth the gum tissue is swollen. It may be difficult to bite down on anything comfortably without the swollen tissue being caught between the teeth.

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Bad breath that can be caused by bacteria and food that becomes trapped under the gum flap.

What is Pericoronitis?

Is common dental problem of the gums in young adults at age 17-24 when wisdom teeth normally erupt in the rrmouth. Pericoronitis refers to the inflammation of the gingiva in relation to the crown of an incompletely erupted tooth. It occurs more often in the mandibular third molar area.

What Cause Pericoronitis? Pericoronitis happens when the wisdom teeth only partially break through your gum, allowing an opening for bacteria to get around the tooth, causing an infection. This is called impaction. It can happen in other teeth but it is rare to have impaction problems in other teeth so impaction of wisdom teeth is the main teeth involved. The wisdom teeth that are usually affected are the ones in the lower jaw. Some other factors that many consider predispose to pericoronitis may include: 

Emotional stress

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Upper respiratory tract infections

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Fatigue

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Menstruation

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Stiffness in the jaw.

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Pus discharge near the tooth from the gum.

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A bad taste or smell in the mouth caused by the

How is Pericoronitis Diagnosed?

pus that is leaking from the gums. There can also be more serious symptoms that can include: 

Throbbing pain that is severe.

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Lymph nodes in the neck under the chin become swollen.

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Having muscle spasms in the jaw.

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On the affected side of your face there is swelling.

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Having difficulty in opening your mouth.

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Fever

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Having difficulty in swallowing food

Pericoronitis is easy to diagnose during a clinical examination. In most cases the swelling of the gum tissues around an impacted tooth is a clear and very obvious sign of pericoronitis. The gums are red, swollen or draining fluid or pus. If pericoronitis is caused by a partially erupted or impacted tooth then the dentist will usually take an X-ray to determine the exact position, size, alignment, and orientation of the tooth and decide about the treatment accordingly.