Magnolia City Dental
Phone: (580) 924-3330
Fax: (580) 924-3339 1706 N Washington Ave Durant OK 74701
Durant, OK 74701
Office Hours
Monday - Thursday:
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Pericoronitis: This is no joking matter.

perioPericoronitis is the inflammation of the gum tissue surrounding the crown portion of the tooth. This can either be chronic or acute. Chronic pericoronitis is a persistent, but mild inflammation, whereas acute pericoronitis is a sudden onset when the symptoms intensify to fever , swelling, and pain which indicate a spreading infection. The cause of this is the collection of debris under the gum tissue, causing a buildup of bacteria. This usually occurs around erupting wisdom teeth where the tooth is only partially covered causing an excess of tissue that overlaps the tooth

Who is at risk?

Those most at risk include people who are in their early to mid 20’s. This is the age where wisdom teeth are erupting poorly.

Signs and Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms include swelling of gum tissue, redness, pain, difficulty opening the jaw, difficulty swallowing, swelling of the lymph nodes, tenderness, and fever.

Treatment:

If the tooth is useful and able to be saved, a minor surgery may be performed to remove the overlapping tissue to keep food and bacteria from building up under. If tooth is not savable or if there is no need for the tooth the treatment would be to remove the tooth. The infection will be treated using an antibiotic and pain may be managed using ibuprofen.