Home | Procedures | Dental Surgery | Pericoronitis |

How to Cure Pericoronitis?

Pericoronitis is the dental name for infected gum tissue that partially covers an erupting wisdom tooth. Many times wisdom teeth do not erupt fully, or erupt at an angle causing an overhanging flap of gum tissue to remain in place. This flap of exposed gum tissue traps bacteria, plaque, and food debris which can then easily lead to an infection underneath the tissue. The gum tissue them becomes swollen and infected, and a condition termed "pericoronitis" occurs.

Symptoms of Pericoronitis include:
1. Pain from the infected area
2. Bad breath and sour taste from the rotting gum tissue
3. Pain in and around the infected area
4. Swollen gums and gum flap
5. Difficulty and pain upon trying to open and close your mouth completely

How to Cure Pericoronitis?
The paracornitis will heal itself when the wisdom tooth finally pushes through, or you have the wisdom tooth removed. In the meantime it's vitally important to disinfect the whole area and keep it as clean as possible.

You need to disinfect the area to stop infection. The easiest way is to use salt mixed with warm water, and rinse as often as you can. You can also use a powerful anti-bacterial mixture - salt mixed with baking soda and a splash of hydrogen peroxide. This will kill off the infection. It's best to use a dental irrigator, but you can brush on. The dental irrigator uses a powerful jet to force the anti-bacterial agent everywhere, including under the flap.

Poking and prodding the gum can often worsen the condition. The easiest way to stop the infection is to leave the salt or baking soda mixture to kill off any infection. It should go down quite rapidly.

Your dentist may also choose just to remove the flap of tissue, or treat the infection with antibiotics.