The main symptoms and methods of treatment of acute periodontitis

1 Causes of the disease

Periodontitis ranks third among dental diseases, after caries and inflammation of the nerve( pulpitis).

The main causes of the onset of the disease are:

• infection;
• mechanical injury of periodontal disease;
• acute tooth injury;
• contact with a medicinal or chemical substance.

Please note that in 95-98 percent of cases, acute periodontitis is a complication of neglected caries, which can also lead to acute pulpitis.

The disease can develop if there are pathogens such as staphylococci, streptococci, actinomycetes, yeast-like fungi and so on.

There are situations when acute periodontitis occurs in the event of a mechanical trauma, for example, an incorrect positioning of the pin or a sharp instrument damaged the root canal. The disease can develop and with acute trauma, for example, dislocation, bruise or fracture of the root.

Contact with a medicinal or chemical substance may also lead to the development of the disease. Basically, this happens when the filling material or chemical agents, like resorcinol, arsenic or formalin, fall on the periodontal tissue.

2 Symptoms of development of the disease

There are several signs of acute periodontitis, the main one of which is aching in the tooth.

Dentists identify the following main symptoms:

• painful sensations in the tooth, which are strengthened when biting or tapping. If you press on the tooth for a long time, the pain decreases. In case of untimely treatment, purulent inflammation can begin, which is characterized by tearing throbbing pains;
• swelling of the gums. In some cases, the gum around the tooth can turn red, swell and become painful. If the disease is not treated, then a small wound will form on the gum, from which the pus will come out. In this case the pain can completely disappear or decrease;
• increased body temperature;
• worsening of general well-being;
• lethargy, weakness;
• lack of appetite, as during eating( when chewing) there is a lot of pain;
• sleep disturbance.

3 Types of pathology

Periodontitis is divided into two clinical forms of flow: acute and chronic. In turn, acute periodontitis has the following subsections:

• serous;
• purulent.

4 Acute serous periodontitis

Acute serous periodontitis has the following symptoms:

• , the painful manifestations initially have a spontaneous character, they can be strengthened by pressing or biting the tooth;
• feeling of lengthening of a sick tooth. This sensation appears because of the periodontal edema, as the tooth rises a little;
• slightly swollen the soft facial tissues, directly near the diseased tooth. However, there are no clear signs of asymmetry on the face, and the patient freely opens his mouth;
• tooth color change. The tooth changes color, which indicates the presence of caries;
• appears in the palpation of tenderness, but the tooth is motionless;
• the patient's body temperature is not increased;
• no change on radiograph;
• is not observed in the general condition of the patient.

Serous periodontitis is the first stage of a disease that can begin to develop due to injury, infection and so on.

5 Acute purulent periodontitis

If the patient does not seek timely treatment, then purulent periodontitis occurs. Very often purulent periodontitis is formed just two days after the development of serous.

Acute purulent periodontitis has the following symptoms:

• pulsating pain;
• the tooth becomes mobile;
• strong swelling of the soft tissues of the face;
• severe pain when pressing on the gum;
• no change on the radiograph.

There are several stages in the development of this form of the disease:

• is the first stage of periodontitis, when the process of festering has limitations, in other words, when the patient has a microabscess. A person has a feeling of a grown tooth;
• the second stage is endosal, in which pus penetrates into bone tissue and its infiltration;
• the third - subperiostal stage, characterized by the accumulation of pus under the periosteum. The patient has significant swelling of the gums and soft tissues of the face, while the patient experiences severe pain. Many patients call this stage a gum flush;
• last stage - it is subukoznaya, when the patient is destroyed periosteum and pus goes into soft tissue. This stage is characterized by a reduction in painful sensations, since the tension in the inflammatory focus decreases. But you can note an increase in the swelling of the soft tissues of the face.

6 Diagnostics and therapy

Acute periodontitis is diagnosed by a dentist when examining the oral cavity of a patient, taking into account his complaints, as well as using radiographic and bacteriological studies. If the diagnosis was made, the doctor begins treatment.

In general, dentists prefer conservative treatment, whose goal is to eliminate the inflammatory process, prevent the spread of pus in the surrounding tissues and restore the function of the aching tooth.

If the patient has a purulent form of the disease, the dentist opens the root canals to expel the pus. And for a while the channels will be open, as the doctor will perform antiseptic sanitation, such as rinsing, administering drugs, rinsing. Quite often this procedure is repeated several times to obtain the desired result.

A dentist may prescribe antibiotics, for example, if the patient has deep periodontal pockets. If the treatment was successful, the root canal is sealed, the selection of the filling material depends on the structure of the canal and is selected individually.

In situations where therapeutic methods do not help, surgical intervention is necessary. The surgeon makes a small incision of the gum and removes the infected tissue together with the tip of the root. After this procedure, the canal is sealed.

In situations where the disease is badly started, the treatment does not bring the desired result, and the tooth is badly damaged, the dentist recommends removing the affected tooth.

7 Prevention measures

The best prevention is the timely treatment of teeth that have tooth decay, a preventive checkup at the dentist twice a year, and hygiene procedures.

Thus, with timely and adequate treatment in most cases, the disease has a positive prognosis. In many situations, dentists manage to keep the tooth and remove the inflammation. It is worth noting that for successful treatment, it is necessary to visit the doctor on time, since basically periodontitis is a complication of neglected form of caries.

If a person regularly visits a doctor and monitors his or her oral cavity, the chance of an acute periodontitis is minimal.