It's probably not a secret that not only children, but also some adults are afraid of dentists. Therefore, deciding to have a tooth removed for many is a rather difficult decision. And it’s good if the process goes smoothly, and after 7-10 days the wound will heal. But if the socket of the jaw continues to hurt and becomes inflamed, this is alveolitis. Treatment in this case should be started immediately, after consulting with the dentist.
What is an affliction?
In dentistry, alveolitis is the inflammatory process of the jaw socket after surgical extraction of a tooth. Pathogenic microorganisms constantly get into an open wound with food, which, with a weakened immune system or non-compliance with basic hygiene rules, increase their colonies in a comfortable environment. As a result, we have an inflammatory process with a fairly strong pain syndrome.
Treatment of alveolitis after tooth extraction is required by three percent of patients, this statistic increases to 20% when it comes to pulling out a wisdom tooth.
Causes of illness
Even the most experienced dentist cannot guarantee a quick healing process of the gums after tooth extraction. This is explained by the fact that the disease can develop not only in case of ignoring the advice of a specialist, but also become a consequence of many other reasons. The most common ones are:
- weakened patient's immune system;
- a complicated operation involving the removal of not only the tooth, but also part of the bone tissue;
- getting at the time of the operation of various fragments of the tooth to the bottom of the hole;
- Poor postoperative wound care;
- ignoring the rules of antisepsis during surgery;
- poor blood clotting, which prevents the formation of a clot;
- non-compliance with the doctor's recommendations for wound care by the patient himself.
To avoid the need for treatment of alveolitis after tooth extraction, you should be responsible for your own he alth and clearly follow the doctor's advice. This will reduce the risk of developing an ailment and will contribute to the rapid healing process of the wound.
Clinical picture
The inflammatory process, as a rule, begins quickly. However, even with the first symptoms, such as hyperemia and mild pain, it is better to consult a dentist. After the examination, the specialist will tell you exactly whether alveolitis develops. The doctor will prescribe treatment in any case to relieve pain and speed up the healing of the jaw socket.
Ignoring the primary symptoms of the diseaseleads to the fact that the next day the inflammatory process goes beyond the wound. In this case, the patient experiences severe pain in the area where the tooth was recently and around it. In addition to hyperemia and edema, a grayish coating with a specific unpleasant odor appears on the inflamed part of the gum. Self-administration of drugs when the disease is in such an acute phase can be not only useless, but also extremely dangerous.
The advanced stage of alveolitis is characterized by purulent discharge from the wound, a sharp bad breath and severe pain. Often such an inflammatory process is accompanied by high body temperature, an increase in submandibular lymph nodes and general malaise.
Appeal to the dentist with the primary symptoms of the disease will prevent further development of the inflammatory process, as well as avoid dangerous consequences.
Types of disease: serous alveolitis
Clinical manifestations of the disease largely depend not only on its stage, but also on the type. In dentistry, the disease is divided into three main types. The first is serous alveolitis, the treatment of which will take no more than 3-5 days. The disease is characterized by a continuous weak pain syndrome, which intensifies during drinking and eating. At the same time, patients do not notice a deterioration in well-being, enlarged lymph nodes and hyperthermia. The lack of therapy in a week leads to the development of a purulent process in the maxillary socket.
Purulent form of the disease
The second kind of illness ispurulent alveolitis of the tooth. Treatment at home using alternative methods in this case can lead to widespread infection. This type of disease is characterized by severe pain in and around the wound. On palpation, the pain intensifies and may radiate to the temporal zone or ear.
When examining the inflamed area, acute hyperemia and swelling of tissues, gray plaque on the jaw socket and adjacent areas, as well as a sharp putrid smell from the mouth are noted. At the same time, the patient complains of general malaise, fever, enlargement and soreness of the lymph nodes in the neck and under the jaw.
Hypertrophic alveolitis
This form of the disease develops when the purulent process becomes chronic. At the same time, many patients note a decrease in pain, an improvement in well-being and the disappearance of other general symptoms of the inflammatory process. The disease does not cause much discomfort, so patients believe that he has receded. However, this opinion has nothing to do with the truth. The inflammatory process, moving from the acute stage to the chronic stage, continues to destroy he althy tissues.
Hypertrophic alveolitis is characterized by an extensive area of soft tissue infection. On examination, the outflow of purulent fluid from the wound is recorded, as well as hyperemia, swelling, and even cyanosis of the areas adjacent to the hole. Palpation reveals the presence of hollow spaces and areas of dead gum tissue.
The disease is most severe in patients with diabetes mellitus. This is explained by the fact that the two diseases significantly aggravate each other.
Alveolitis of the lungs
In addition to tooth alveolitis, there is a lung disease of the same name. This disease involves the development of an inflammatory process in the alveoli of the lungs, the etiology is different. Modern medicine classifies the disease into three main types: allergic, toxic and idiopathic. And if the first two are caused by interaction with the allergen and intoxication, then why the latter occurs, scientists have not yet figured out.
Treatment of lung alveolitis is carried out under the strict supervision of a doctor at home, hospital therapy is indicated only for severe forms of the disease.
What is the danger of dental alveolitis?
The rate of development of the inflammatory process in the maxillary socket largely depends on the state of immunity. And if the body's defense system is weakened, then within a couple of hours after the first symptoms appear, the disease can go into an acute phase. Lack of timely treatment and ignoring clinical manifestations for a long period can be very dangerous. After all, the consequence of such carelessness can be the penetration of infection into the deep layers of soft and bone tissues. As a result, periostitis, phlegmon, abscess, osteomyelitis and even blood poisoning develop.
Treat the disease at an early stage
If the doctor diagnosed alveolitis after tooth treatment, he will definitely determine the cause of the disease. To do this, the patient mustundergo an x-ray. Based on the obtained picture, the specialist will be able to determine the presence of foreign bodies in the hole and proceed to their removal.
Initially, the patient is given an injection of lidocaine or another painkiller. When the anesthetic medicine begins to work, the doctor will treat the hole with an antiseptic solution. For this, medicines such as "Furacilin" or "Chlorixidine" are most often used. Next, the dentist will use tools to remove the foreign body and re-treat the wound.
An antiseptic dressing is applied to the well dried with a gauze swab, and the patient is prescribed systemic painkillers. In some cases, if the patient has alveolitis, treatment may include a course of antibiotic therapy. However, it is up to the doctor to decide on this matter.
Treatment of advanced forms of alveolitis
If purulent or hypertrophic alveolitis is diagnosed, the doctor will begin treatment with relief of pain. To do this, the patient is given an anesthetic blockade, the hole is cleaned of pus and foreign bodies are removed. Then a swab with antibacterial drugs is introduced into the wound, which is changed every 24 hours. Assumes such an alveolitis after tooth extraction treatment at home, however, a daily visit to the dentist is mandatory.
For soft tissue necrosis, doctors use protiolytic enzymes to stop the inflammatory process and remove dead tissue. After the acute stage of the disease has passed,treatment is supplemented with physiotherapeutic procedures that improve the process of tissue regeneration. The patient in this case may be prescribed microwave therapy, infrared laser or ultraviolet radiation.
After treatment of alveolitis, doctors recommend taking general strengthening vitamin complexes to restore the body.
