Флюс зуба: чем опасен и как лечить?

Periostitis or dental flux is a dental disease that is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the soft tissues of the gum and periosteum. It can manifest itself on the gum on both the upper and lower jaw. In 90% of cases, this pathology develops in adults, while children encounter it quite rarely. If this disease is not treated, then there is a risk of developing serious pathologies, which can only be removed by surgical intervention and cardinal measures.

Now we will dwell in more detail on why flux occurs, highlight its main varieties. We will describe the symptomatology, including depending on the stage of the disease. We will tell you how to treat pathology and whether you can save a tooth with flux. We will give a number of simple preventive measures that will help prevent the development of serious consequences.

Flux on the gum: the main causes

A condition such as flux on the gum can occur as a result of:

1. Protracted caries. Develops when the infection reaches the nerve and causes its inflammation. That is, purulent pulpitis is one of the most common causes of flux.
2. Untreated periodontitis. If the patient, faced with pulpitis, does not seek timely consultation with a dentist, the infection will kill the nerve, penetrate deeper, go beyond the tooth, periodontitis will appear. It will spread through the bone, destroying it, forming cysts and granulomas. Often on this background develops acute or chronic maxillary sinusitis.
3. Exacerbation of periodontitis. If the patient is diagnosed with this disease, but he does not pay due attention to its treatment and preventive measures, the infection accumulated in deep periodontal root pockets, leads to suppuration. It spreads to the soft tissues, that is, gingival flux appears.
4. Poor-quality treatment of root canals. If the dentist is negligent and does not fully clean the root canals, then the infected pulp particles will spread to the associated tissues, causing their inflammation, suppuration.
5. Traumatic condition of the tooth. In dental practice have met in cases where flux appeared after tooth extraction, mechanical damage that led to the death of the pulp. Here timely and professional dental care is very important.

In its majority, flux is a consequence of neglected diseases of teeth and dental tissues. Do not neglect visits to the dentist at the appearance of the first symptoms of dental caries, periodontitis. This way you will be able to keep your tooth healthy and prevent the development of periostitis.

Flux: main varieties

How to cure flux of the tooth will largely depend on the degree of the disease, as well as on its variety. The following types of periostitis are distinguished:

1. Ordinary. This is a flux without a pustule. That is, bacteria, microorganisms in the affected area are absent.
2. Purulent. Assumes the presence on the soft tissues of microcracks, wounds, through which pathogenic microflora penetrates inside. Often against this background develops purulent osteomyelitis.
3. Fibrous. Develops as a result of the impact on the soft tissues of the gums of external irritating factors. Over time, this will lead to the thickening of the periosteum and the development of chronic periostitis.
4. Ossifying. As in the previous variant, flux near the tooth develops as a result of a prolonged irritating effect on the periosteum. Often passes into a chronic form.
5. Albuminous. Serious pathology, in which there are active inflammatory processes, but without suppuration.

Depending on the root cause, flux near the tooth can be traumatic, specific, inflammatory, toxic, allergic, rheumatic.

All types of disease assume distinctive features of treatment, depending on the form of pathology. Therefore, it is not worth asking inquiries “how to treat flux of the tooth at home”. It is better to initially seek help from dentists. The doctor will conduct a diagnosis, determine the cause and form of the disease, select the most appropriate treatment, which will give a quick and stable result.

Symptoms of flux: how not to miss the disease

Common symptoms of tooth flux that should alert you and encourage you to see a dentist include:

• pitting soreness on the gum, which can often radiate to the neck, temples, ear, eyes;
• formation of a purulent pouch in the soft tissues near the tooth;
• increased pain when chewing, brushing or any other mechanical pressure on the focus of inflammation;
• swelling in the area of the lesion, a local change in the color of the gum, which often precedes the appearance of points with pus.

But the manifestation of the disease depends largely on its stage. The more neglected is the form of flux of the front upper tooth or other localization, the more vivid will be its manifestations, the more difficult and longer will be the treatment.

The first stage of flux

This is where periostitis is just beginning to develop. At this stage, the symptomatology is minimal: there is flux, and the tooth does not hurt. In some cases, there may be a slight discomfort with mechanical pressure on the affected area, slight redness, irritation when eating, drinking. If the body has enough vitamins, minerals, there is a chance that the immune system will cope with the disease on its own.

But if you notice that there is a thickening on the gum, if there are pustules, it is better to consult a dentist. In this case, a rinse with antiseptics may be prescribed, which will help to stop the spread of the disease and remove the inflammatory process without serious treatment.

The second stage of flux

If the disease could not be controlled at the first stage, then the process of active suppuration is launched. Infection accumulates in the root zone of the tooth, which is accompanied by the following symptomatology:

• pronounced localized pain, which increases when eating, cold and hot drinks;
• formation of a purulent sac, edema and inflammation of soft tissues;
• increase in body temperature, the appearance of headaches.

If the flux sac ruptures, pus begins to leak from it. The wound itself bleeds. If the pus is drained, it does not mean that the periostitis will go away. Even minor remnants of infection can cause its re-development. Therefore, the help of a dentist should not be neglected. The doctor will thoroughly clean the wound, install drainage, which will allow you to completely get rid of the pathology. In this case, treatment on average takes from 3 to 5 days.

The third stage of flux

The most serious form, in which the disease can already be called neglected. If at this stage you neglect to contact a dentist, you can face very serious consequences that require a long and complex treatment.

Symptoms of the third stage of flux will be:

• acute inflammatory process, accompanied by high fever;
• severe pain, which manifests itself even without strain on the gum, tooth.

At this stage, pus spreads through the soft tissues of the human body. That is, the pathology from the category of local goes to the general.

Now that you know what is flux of the tooth, for what reason it appears and how it manifests itself you can move on to the following questions: whether it can be cured without tooth extraction and what techniques are used here.

Treatment of flux: basic techniques

How to treat dental flux to provide the patient with the fastest possible relief from pain, discomfort, completely remove the inflammatory process is decided by the dentist after performing a comprehensive diagnosis. Despite the fact that the mechanism of elimination of the disease is approximately the same in all cases, in each of the clinical situations there are special nuances that will necessarily be taken into account at the stage of treatment.

Of the main techniques it is worth highlighting:

1. Antibiotic therapy. An effective solution in the elimination of infectious and inflammatory processes. In this case, such drugs as Amoxiclav, Metronidazole, Lincomycin and their derivatives are most often prescribed. Take the drug can be taken exclusively on the prescription of a doctor. He will select a suitable antibiotic, will describe the scheme of its use.
2. Local therapy. Flux above the tooth or under it is recommended to gargle with soda solutions, miramistin, infusions of chamomile, propolis, calendula, sage. It is also possible local application of ointments Levomekol, Metrogil Denta, Holysal. This will help relieve painful sensations, swelling.
3. Physiotherapy. Such procedures as laser, ultrasound therapy, electrophoresis, are used as additional measures to reduce inflammatory reactions.

If the situation is serious, if gargling and ointments in the opinion of the doctor will not give the desired result, surgical intervention is indicated. On this point we will dwell in more detail.

Surgical treatment of gingival flus

Is it necessary to extract a tooth in case of flux – no. It depends on the complexity of the situation. Surgical treatment can be performed either with preservation or extraction of the tooth.

1. Treatment of flux with preservation of the tooth. In this case, the dentist drills out all carious tissues, performs cleaning of the channels. If they have been previously filled, their layout is performed. All tooth structures are thoroughly washed with antiseptic solutions. In case of serious inflammatory phenomena in the root area of the tooth, resection is performed – removal of the inflamed element of the root with preservation of healthy tissues. This procedure is carried out no sooner than 2-3 weeks after opening the tooth, its washing. If the cause of flux was periodontitis, then initially the abscess itself is opened, a drain is installed to drain the pus. The wound is washed with antiseptic solutions. To stop inflammatory processes, antibiotics are prescribed. After normalization of the condition, the scheme of treatment of periodontitis is prescribed.
2. Treatment of flux with tooth extraction. If the doctor diagnosed diffusion and purulent flux, especially in the latter stages, often requires a total extraction of the tooth. Without this, there is no way to get to the focus of inflammation and perform a full treatment. Initially, the tooth is removed under local anesthesia. Next, a small incision is made in the gum, through which pus is removed from the soft tissues. A special rubber expander is installed in the wound for effective removal of pus residue, blood vessels. Upon completion of cleaning, the wound is washed with antiseptics. The rubber band will be removed only a few days after the wound is completely cleaned. After surgical intervention, the doctor prescribes baths based on baking soda solutions, chlorhexidine gargling, magnetotherapy, microwave, UHF, taking oral antibiotics or their injection. On how responsibly the patient will approach the compliance with the recommendations of the doctor will depend on how long the flux comes off after tooth extraction.

Why is dental flux so dangerous?

Going to the dentist is a must if you are faced with periostitis. What happens if you don’t treat the flux? The infection will spread through the body, gradually penetrating into deeper and deeper tissues. As a result, the following pathologies can occur:

Jaw osteomyelitis. Develops when infectious influences spread to the bone of the jaw, causing its destruction.
Abscess. The body, in order to protect against inflammation, forms a capsule in which pus will accumulate. Dense tissue is formed, surgical intervention will be required.
Sinusitis. Assumes the spread of infection to the sinuses, and through them even to the brain.
Phlegmon. If the abscess is not treated in time, the infection will spread through the body, which can lead to infectious blood poisoning,

A timely visit to the dentist will help prevent all these pathologies. Also, in order to prevent the appearance of flux on the front tooth or elsewhere, regular visits to the clinic are recommended. In this way, it will be possible to identify caries and other diseases that provoke the appearance of periostitis at the initial stages, treat them, thereby preventing serious consequences.

Professional services in this area offers medical center “Prizma” in Kiev. Our specialists are well aware of what is flux of the tooth and how to treat it properly. In the work uses modern equipment, advanced techniques, which allows to completely eliminate the pathology in the shortest possible time and with minimal discomfort for the patient.