The main cause of Pericoronitis is bacteria activity. Pericoronitis is a dental abscess. The abscess associated with the crown of an incompletely erupted tooth. Pericoronitis is commonly found in patients from 21 to of 25 years old. Early signs of Pericoronitis include swelling, soreness and redness localised to the gum flap overlaying the tooth crown.

Pericoronitis, in its mildest form, is a localised inflammatory response of the gum to stimulus of micro-organism. Swelling and soreness can occur in gum tissue overlaying a tooth with an incomplete eruption. In severe cases, Pericoronitis may require hospitalisation due to sever infection.  The most common teeth affected by Pericoronitis are lower third molars also known as wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are mostly affected by Pericoronitis because cleaning access is limited around wisdom teeth and they are in general hard to properly clean.

With Pericoronitis, Bacteria plaque accumulates under the gum flap and causes infection and soreness. Patients may present with red gum tissue and swollen gum and therefore consequently pain in that area. Using dental X-rays, your dentist may find evidence of wisdom tooth impaction.

Pericoronitis is not always a disease. Sometimes Pericoronitis is a side effect of natural tooth eruption. Even with healthy patients, Wisdom tooth extraction can be an option when the impacted tooth has caused repeated episodes of Pericoronitis pain.

The severity of the Pericoronitis infection varies and therefore the treatments range from mild to aggressive. For patients with mild Pericoronitis, infection may be managed using:

• Antibiotics (not indicated when no swelling)
• Warm Saline rinse beneath the flap

Dental Treatment by a professional dentist is required. Find a dentist near you. The dentist can take an X-ray and assess the tooth and tissues under the surface of the gum. They can sometimes prevent Pericoronitis by removing the wisdom tooth before they penetrate the oral mucosa.

Pericoronitis can be acute or chronic. It can recur repeatedly. While acute Pericoronitis is always associated with pain and gum soreness, sometimes chronic Pericoronitis presents no symptoms. Chronic Pericoronitis should be treated otherwise if left untreated, it can lead to bone loss and progressive destruction of the underlying and surrounding oral tissues.

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