Every part of the human body can become susceptible to disease, and our mouth is no exception. One of the most unpleasant diseases is jaw periostitis, also known as flux.
What is it and how to treat it properly.
What is periostitis?
Periostitis is a general name for several conditions associated with tissue inflammation. If we talk about periostitis in a broader sense, it can be caused by repeated stress on tissues (for example, during running, jumping, powerlifting, etc.).
Our mouth also has tissues that can be subjected to stress: during chewing, eating and even talking. This is what causes jaw periostitis, which is often called flux.
In more detail, periostitis is an inflammation of the periosteum (periosteum): the film that surrounds the bone from the outside. In the mouth, periostitis occurs when the periosteum of the jaw is damaged.
Symptoms of periostitis
In most cases, flux is accompanied by pain. The pain may make it difficult for you to eat and drink freely or even speak. Patients also complain of lack of appetite and chills. Later, a lump appears on the gums.
There may also be:
- headaches;
- swelling of the face;
- increase in body temperature;
- bleeding;
- bad breath;
- nausea
In addition, the sensitivity of the gums to cold and hot may increase.
Types of periostitis
According to the symptoms and course of the disease, periostitis is classified as acute and chronic.
Acute periostitis can be serous or purulent.
Serous is characterized by the accumulation of serous (transparent) fluid in the periosteum with the development of an abscess. The disease occurs against the background of high temperature and acute pain. If such flux is not treated, it turns into a chronic or purulent form.
With acute purulent periostitis, pus accumulates in the tissues surrounding the tooth, which leads to loosening of the affected tooth, acute pain, and facial asymmetry.
The mechanism of development of acute periostitis can be explained as follows: suppose the patient has a focus of inflammation near the tooth roots or in the dental canals. The serous or purulent exudate (fluid released from small blood vessels during inflammation) that forms will seek an outlet and spread toward the periosteum.
Also, acute periostitis is classified according to the spread of the process. It can be limited or diffuse.
In the first case, the focus of inflammation is localized within one tooth, which caused the pathology, and in the second case, the infection spreads throughout the jaw.
Periostitis can occur both on the upper and lower jaws. Of great importance in the acute periostitis clinic is which tooth caused the periostitis. Where exactly the swelling will spread depends on this. For example, if periostitis occurred due to inflammation of the incisors in the upper jaw, the swelling will spread to the upper lip and wings of the nose.
When the purulent process moves to the periosteum from the large angular teeth of the upper jaw, swelling can occur not only on the cheeks and cheekbones, but also near the ear.
On the lower jaw, the swelling from the incisors and canines spreads to the chin and lower lip, and from the large angular teeth to the cheek, chin and cheekbone.
Another mechanism of development of acute periostitis is lymphogenic or hematogenous. In this case, the infection enters the periosteum through blood or lymphatic vessels. Such periostitis is not odontogenic, that is, the cause of its occurrence is not related to teeth.
Most often, the causes of this type of acute periostitis will be:
- to swell;
- sinusitis;
- measles;
- scarlet fever;
- complications of acute respiratory viral infection.
Another cause of periostitis can be trauma to the jaw, such periostitis is called traumatic. Most often, it is traumatic factors that lead to the development of simple chronic periostitis.
The disease is accompanied by moderate swelling of inflamed tissues and pain when touching them. After treatment, the inflammatory process usually passes, and the swelling subsides.
With ossifying chronic periostitis, the symptoms may be weaker. However, in the absence of treatment, the bones of the jaws can deform and provoke ossification and hyperostosis – excessive bone growth.
Causes of periostitis
One of the most common causes of odontogenic (teeth-related) periostitis is poor oral hygiene.
Other reasons are:
- gum disease;
- caries;
- improperly selected dentures, etc.
Floss can often also be caused by the eruption of a wisdom tooth. Inflammation of the periosteum can also occur after improper root canal treatment or incomplete tooth extraction.
Also, hypothermia (overheating), exercise and stress can contribute to the development of periostitis.
Treatment
Periostitis is painful and unpleasant, so it is always better to treat it immediately. We do not recommend treating this disease at home or with folk remedies. You can also not warm the cheek or pierce the bump in the mouth.
You should immediately consult a dentist. Depending on the type and complexity of periostitis, the dentist will treat tooth canals or correct dentures, and if necessary, remove the tooth that caused the inflammation.
In some cases, jaw surgery and drainage may be required.
Taking antibiotics is an important step in the fight against any infection, and flux is no exception. Therefore, after the procedures, the doctor should prescribe a course of antibiotics and write a prescription for them.
What will happen if the flux is not treated
Not treating flux can be life-threatening. Of course, this is a very unlikely scenario, but it is worth understanding that periostitis is always the result of a bacterial infection. If an abscess is not treated, the infection can spread through the blood or bones to different parts of the body.
Periostitis of the jaw can also occur in a child who has milk teeth. After all, caries, as you know, affects them too. Therefore, a flux may also appear.
Therefore, at the first complaints of a child about pain in a tooth or in the mouth, it is necessary to immediately consult a doctor.
How to prevent inflammation?
There is no other advice here, except to visit the dentist regularly. In this way, you can prevent caries and other diseases that cause all kinds of diseases, including flux. Also, follow oral hygiene every day.
Always remember that a visit to the dentist should be your top priority if you have found oral flux.