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Keep Your Teeth Healthy By Watching Out For These 2 Dental Problems

29 June 2016 by Harold Coleman

There are many different types of problems you could have with your teeth other than common things like cavities, stains, etc. Below are two of these problems so you can understand them better before you take a trip to your dentist.

Pericoronitis

Your wisdom teeth, which are known as the third molars, should erupt through your gums at around the age of 17. Once the teeth fully erupt, your dentist will likely pull them out.

Pericoronitis may develop when the wisdom tooth only partially breaks through the gum. Once this happens, an opening develops and can allow bacteria, food, and plaque to enter around the wisdom tooth, which will cause an infection.

The wisdom teeth may also grow sideways, which will cause pain as the wisdom tooth pushes against the other tooth next to it.  If you have this problem, your gums will swell and be painful when touched. You may have a bad taste in your mouth caused by pus leaking from your gums. You may feel pain when you open your mouth.

Your dentist will take an X-ray to determine the alignment of your wisdom teeth to ensure you are having this problem. If so, they will likely have you take antibiotics to clear up the infection, and then an oral surgeon can remove the impacted tooth. You may have this problem with more than one of your wisdom teeth.

Gingiva Infections

The gingiva is a soft tissue lining that surrounds your teeth and provides a seal around each tooth. This soft tissue is tightly bound to each tooth to restrict friction while chewing food. You have a problem with gingiva if something tough like non-food materials, such as a toothpick, or tough food, such as a popcorn seed, gets stuck in your gums. Something rough like this can break through the seal and get under the gingiva. If this happens and you do not get the material or food out, infection can get through the broken seal. Over time, a wound will develop under your gums, and it could also result in damage to blood vessels and nerves in the mouth area.

A dentist can use a special tool to remove the foreign object from your gums, and then they will assess the damage that was caused and provide you with the right treatment. The dentist may prescribe antibiotics and a salt mouth rinse to help with the pain until you are healed. If there was great damage to the nerves and blood vessels, dental surgery may be required.

If you have any questions about these two things or are exhibiting any of these symptoms, you should see your dentist. For more information, contact a local clinic like Market Street Dental PC. 

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