When I go home during the Chinese New Year, all I can do is eat and sleep!

Hot pot, barbecue, spicy hotpot, cake, pizza, ice cream... But once the wisdom teeth become inflamed, not only can they not: eat!

Even the heartbreaking pain will force you not to: sleep!

Next, let’s talk about wisdom tooth inflammation.

How painful is wisdom tooth inflammation?

Wisdom tooth inflammation, the medical term is wisdom tooth pericoronitis, is an inflammation of the soft tissue around the wisdom teeth caused by bacteria.

The typical symptoms are: the gums around the wisdom teeth are so swollen and painful that you dare not touch them. In severe cases, there may even be spontaneous throbbing pain, which can wake you up in pain from a sweet dream, or simply make you unable to sleep due to the pain.

Picture from 123rf.com.cn If not treated in time, the inflammation will spread to the tongue and buccal side, causing pain in swallowing, limited mouth opening, swelling of the cheek, swollen submandibular lymph nodes, etc.

Intuitively speaking, every time I swallowed, it was extremely painful, my mouth could not be opened wide, and my face was swollen, as if I had been domestically assaulted.

Due to the pain and swelling, I had no choice but to give up delicious food. The only way to relieve my worries was gruel.

Even so, the pain is unbearable. In severe cases, it can cause fever. The spread of infection can also cause interstitial infection.

Interstitial infection is serious. Not only does it require antibiotics, but the mouth or face may also be incised to drain the pus. Please imagine that scene.

The picture comes from 123rf.com.cn Therefore, pericoronitis of wisdom teeth not only brings great pain to people, but also is a disease that must not be ignored.

Many people ask for wisdom teeth extraction because they can no longer endure the torture of pericoronitis and think that long-term pain is worse than short-term pain.

Some people are afraid of tooth extraction and think that they can just get through it this time.

Don’t worry, after this time, there will be another time, and each time will be better than the last.

Here I will introduce some of my personal knowledge on the treatment of pericoronitis of wisdom teeth, hoping to provide reference and help to friends.

(Excluding inflammation caused by wisdom teeth caries.) Why do wisdom teeth become inflamed?

Bacteria are the fundamental cause of wisdom tooth pericoronitis.

Some people may ask, since there is a bacterial environment in the mouth, why do wisdom teeth always torture us like this, but other teeth are not so cruel?

This is a good question.

Indeed, the oral cavity is a bacterial environment, which means that there are many bacteria in the mouth, no matter how much toothpaste and mouthwash you use.

Pictures from 123rf.com.cn The bacteria that cause inflammation of wisdom teeth also exist in the oral cavity for a long time. It does not cause disease all the time, but needs to be found at the right time.

This is why pericoronitis of wisdom teeth heals after an attack, and then relapses after a while, and so on.

So, when do bacteria cause inflammation?

If you want to rebel, you must first have your own territory and dominate one side.

The wisdom teeth that cause pericoronitis are mostly those that are not fully exposed, and part of their crowns are covered by the gums.

The part covered by the gums forms a blind pocket, in which food and bacteria can easily embed. This blind pocket is the living place and territory of bacteria.

The picture comes from 123rf.com.cn Due to the special structure, the gums cover bacteria and food residues. Normally brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth cannot remove them, so you can only let them make trouble.

But the world is not so peaceful, and just tossing these bacteria is not enough.

Because the mandibular wisdom teeth have not reached the height they should be, the maxillary wisdom teeth continue to elongate and eventually come into contact with the gums of the mandibular wisdom teeth. At this time, every bite will bite the gums covering the crowns of the wisdom teeth.

The picture comes from 123rf.com.cn Under such internal and external attacks, the gums can only endure silently. When the body's resistance decreases, such as colds, fatigue, heat, women's menstrual period, etc., wisdom tooth pericoronitis will occur.

It can be seen that bacteria are the root cause, and the blind pocket and the bite trauma of the maxillary teeth are the triggers. If these two factors are not resolved, then wisdom tooth pericoronitis will not be completely cured, and will only occur more and more frequently.

Can pericoronitis of wisdom teeth cause other diseases?

There are many soft tissue gaps around wisdom teeth. If wisdom tooth pericoronitis is not treated in time, the inflammation will spread quickly.

Spreading to the buccal side may cause swelling of the cheek, or even infection of the buccal space, with severe pain. Spreading to the lingual side may cause infection of the pre-isthmic space, infection of the sublingual space, etc.