Home Remedies for Pericoronitis

The problem of pericoronitis arises because of a partially erupted tooth. This is a common occurrence during the emergence of a wisdom tooth. Wisdom teeth are the third and final set of molars, which erupt quite late when you are in your late teens or early twenties. If the jaw area is small or the teeth which emerged first were big in size, then the wisdom teeth do not get enough space to fully emerge out of the gums. As a result, the tooth get impacted in the gums and a cavity is formed in the area. Bacteria starts invading this area of partially erupted tooth, which cannot be removed with regular brushing. The growing number of bacteria start infecting the gums. Later on, it may spread to the cheeks and throat as well. The intensity of the pain due to wisdom tooth impaction often varies from mild to severe. The pain is accompanied by swollen and tender gums that hurt a lot while eating, jaw pain that makes it difficult to open the mouth, bad breath, foul taste in mouth, swollen lymph nodes in neck, etc.

Treatment for Pericoronitis
Extremely painful pericoronitis symptoms should be treated by the dentist only. A mild pain and discomfort can be tackled with the help of some simple home treatment methods. Such measures are taken to keep the pain and other signs of infection in check and the tooth will emerge soon after some time. Here are a few home remedies for pericoronitis that have been proved to be helpful in this regard.

Saline Water Treatment: This is an important remedy and it is good for you even if you are undergoing medicinal treatment for this problem. Dissolve half teaspoon of salt in a glass of lukewarm water. Rinse your mouth thoroughly using this saline solution after every meal for a week. This has a soothing effect on the pain and wards off wisdom tooth infection too.

Application of Clove Oil: Take a small piece of cotton wool and soak it with a few drops of clove oil. Now, place this soaked cotton near the impacted tooth for an hour or so. The natural anti-inflammatory properties of clove oil will reduce the inflammation of the gums and the pain will decrease too.

Camphor: Wrap up a small piece of camphor in cotton wool and put it near the inner lining of the cheek just next to the wisdom tooth. The juice released from the camphor will have a numbing effect on the painful gums. Keep it inside the mouth and let the camphor dissolve in your mouth completely.

Ice Massage: Take an ice cube, roll it up in a small towel and rub it gently over the cheek near the site of impacted tooth for about 5 minutes. The extreme cold temperature of the ice has a soothing effect on the pain and reduces the swelling as well.

Oral Numbing Gel: You can buy oral numbing gels from the local pharmacy stores. It has to be applied topically on the inflamed part of the gum around the wisdom tooth after which, you will not be able to feel the gum pain anymore. However, its effect will last for an hour and not more than that. So, you can use it only to get a temporary relief from an unbearable pain.

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene: Proper dental hygiene is an integral part of the home treatment. Use soft bristled toothbrush to brush your teeth and while brushing, giving special attention to the area around the impacted tooth. Proper flossing removes food particles stuck in between your teeth. Thus, it prevents any further growth of bacteria inside the mouth. Regular use of a medicated mouthwash helps in controlling the infection.

If these home remedies do not bring about improvement in the condition even after a week or the symptoms relapse, then you must know that it is time to visit your dentist. They first prescribe suitable antibiotics and pain relieving medicines for treatment. This will reduce the intensity of the painful symptoms and the tooth is likely to emerge on its own. However, if it does not and pericoronitis recurs again and again, then dentists opt for surgery for extraction of the troubled tooth.