Can pericoronitis cause pain and difficulty in eating?

Question

Hello doctor,

About six months ago, I noticed my gum was growing over my bottom right second molar. It is very painful and hard to eat from that side. Right above that, I think another tooth is coming, possibly a wisdom tooth, but I am in doubt whether it is a second molar or a wisdom tooth.

I am about to be 18 years old. I am just worried since it hurts so bad, and I have never seen anything like this before. I noticed this a while back because it hurts, but I just ignored it, and now the pain is back and ten times stronger.

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

You guessed that right, that might be a newly erupting wisdom teeth covered by gum flap; the condition is also called pericoronitis. If you could send a photograph, that would have been helpful in confirming the diagnosis. Wisdom teeth do not come in one go, they will erupt bit by bit, and you will have to get that flap removed by a dentist.

For now, do warm water and salt mouth rinse 3 to 4 times back to back and avoid food lodgement in that area as much as possible. Get scaling done on the affected side. It will surely relieve your pain and help reduce inflammation of the gums. You may take Ibuprofen or any over-the-counter NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) if the pain is intolerable.

I hope my answer was helpful to you. Do revert back for more queries.

Thank you.