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Pericoronitis

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space placeholder.What You Can Do.
space placeholder.What Your Dentist Will Do .
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Wisdom teeth do not always come into the mouth properly. Sometimes, a tooth comes in part of the way, but a flap of gum covers it. This happens more often with the lower wisdom teeth than with the upper ones. Bacteria and pieces of food can get trapped under this flap. The gum may swell and become irritated. This is an infection called pericoronitis.

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space placeholder.What You Can Do
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The symptoms of pericoronitis may include:
  • A bad taste in the mouth (this often happens when there's an infection)
  • Bad breath (halitosis)
  • Pain in the area around your back teeth
  • Swelling of the gums behind your back teeth (you may not be able to bite down without pinching the swollen gums between your teeth)
  • Not being able to open your mouth all the way

Do not use warm compresses on your face. You can swish warm salt water around in your mouth. This may help to reduce the swelling, but it will not solve the problem. Visit a dentist as soon as possible.
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space placeholder.What Your Dentist Will Do
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Pericoronitis can be tricky to treat. The flap of gum tissue won't go away until one of three things happens:
  • The flap of tissue is removed
  • The wisdom tooth is removed
  • The wisdom tooth comes into your mouth the rest of the way

Your dentist will clean the area to remove damaged tissue or pus. If the area is infected, you'll be given antibiotics.

Your dentist will tell you how to keep the area clean. This is the best way to keep the problem from coming back. You will have to brush and floss every day, and rinse your mouth several times a day. This will help to prevent food particles from building up in the area.

If the condition returns, your dentist probably will send you to an oral surgeon, who may suggest that you remove the flap of gum tissue or the tooth. Once the tooth is out, you rarely have the problem again. If the problem is caused by an upper wisdom tooth biting the gum that covers a lower wisdom tooth, the upper one may be removed first.

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Last updated November 29, 2007
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