Many of us are familiar with the word "flux". The disease also has an official name - odontogenic periostitis. A person with a flux is easy for an average person to identify by a swollen cheek. The patient himself complains of persistent pain in the gums. Let's structure the knowledge on this disease - consider its characteristics, stages, developmental features in children and adults, effective measures to help the patient.
What is this?
Flux, odontogenic periostitis is an inflammatory (and most often purulent) process that develops in the jaw periosteum. For the patient, it is fraught with severe pain. At home, this disease is incurable - qualified dental care is required.
Why such a name - periostitis? The focus of inflammation is in the periosteum. In Latin, it is called the periosteum. Hence the name of the disease itself.
There are many reasons for odontogenic periostitis. In some cases, this is a common caries, neglected or not cured to the end. The destruction reaches the periosteum of the alveolar process of the tooth, causing inflammation in neighboring tissues. Sometimes the flux makes itself felt in various injuries and injuries of the jaw.
According to the international classifier of diseases (ICD-10) has the code K10.2. Refers to periostitis and other infectious pathologies in this section.
Causes of disease
Why does flux develop (odontogenic periostitis)? It is provoked by infection in the tissues of the jaw periosteum through the blood or lymphatic channel. Much less often, the cause is hypothermia, overwork or severe stress.
Scientists have found that non-pathogenic strains of staphylococci can also be pathogens. From any infectious focus in the periodontium through the osteon channels, microorganisms from it enter the periosteal tissues. The causative agents can also be gram-negative and gram-positive rods, a number of putrefactive bacteria, as well as streptococci.
The main causes of chronic and acute odontogenic periostitis are as follows:
- Teeth damaged by caries. As a result of this disease, purulent processes develop, as a result of which the contents (pus) "seek" a way out. As a result, through the upper part of the root, it makes its way to the bone, stopping at the jaw periosteum.
- Mechanical damage to teeth. They can break as a result of injury, impact, or even biting on too hard food.
- Formation of gum pockets. Pieces of food are clogged into these holes, which cause the development of the inflammatory process.
- The rate of disease progression is affectedexposure to inflammatory processes affecting the upper respiratory tract, oral mucosa, as well as the ingress of pathogenic microflora into the thickness of the gums or tooth.
- Launched caries. Or an incorrectly chosen treatment regimen for the disease. Perhaps the patient's symptoms were suppressed, while the cause of the disease remained, continues to progress.
- Establishment of a temporary filling with arsenic. Ignoring its replacement with permanent material.
First symptoms
Odontogenic periostitis of the jaws, which is dangerous, according to the first signs, it is difficult to distinguish from an exacerbation of chronic periodontitis. The patient has the following:
- Pain in the tooth. Aggravated when trying to chew.
- Swelling in the gum area.
- Moving pain to the gums. The pain becomes throbbing, constant, often radiating to the eye socket or ear.
- The patient's face becomes asymmetrical due to tissue edema. The skin on it (edema) is of normal color.
Distinctive symptoms of the disease
The disease manifests itself most clearly in terms of symptoms in patients 30-40 years old. In children, people of advanced age, they can be expressed much weaker.
Characteristic signs noted for acute odontogenic periostitis of the jaws and other types of disease (specifically, we will analyze them later):
- Sharp and persistent pain. Increases when chewing. It is almost impossible to remove with standard analgesics.
- Puffiness in the areagums (caused by the accumulation of purulent masses). It also spreads to the nearby cheek. If the inflammation has affected the lower gum, then the chin may also swell. If the top, then the process affects the lips, eyelids, periorbital zone. These locations also swell.
- Enlarged mandibular lymph nodes.
- Increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees.
- General malaise, headache, loss of energy.
Disease types
The disease is divided into several forms. The most dangerous of them are the following:
- Spicy.
- Acute purulent.
- Periostitis of the jaw.
Features of each of them will be considered further in detail.
Sharp shape
Acute odontogenic periostitis is a rapidly progressing inflammatory process in the periosteum. As a rule, it is limited by the alveolar processes of 2-3 teeth. It is a consequence of complications of caries or lesions of periodontal tissues.
With this disease, the patient's condition worsens literally every hour. The main symptoms are:
- Increasing and throbbing pain in the gums, in the tooth. Sometimes becomes unbearable.
- As the pain progresses, so does the swelling. From the gums, it goes to the lips, nasolabial fold, cheeks, chin.
- High temperature, fever.
- Headache.
- Shattered state.
- Loss of appetite.
- Insomnia.
Sick needs urgent medical attention!The disease is dangerous because purulent discharge along the intervals between the muscle tissue can go to the face and neck. This spread is already dangerously fatal.
The chronic form of flux will be distinguished by the slow development of symptoms, the implicit severity of the symptoms of the disease. The edema is also not strong. But the jawbone also continues to pathologically change and thicken.
Acute purulent form
Most often it affects the areas of large molars, wisdom teeth of the lower jaw. In the upper "risk group" there will be localizations of small and large molars. This type of disease mainly provokes exposure to bacterial microflora - streptococci, staphylococci, putrefactive bacteria, gram-negative and gram-positive organisms.
Less common causes:
- Difficulty teething, inflammation of the tissues around them.
- Purulent processes in the radicular cyst.
- Difficult or incorrect extraction of a tooth, which was accompanied by trauma to the periosteum or gums.
- Injuries, wounds of the jaw.
Acute purulent odontogenic periostitis manifests itself as follows:
- Intense throbbing pain reaching ears, eyes, nose.
- Pain increases in response to heat. Subsides when cold is applied.
- Swelling of mucous membranes and skin. The symptoms become more intense as it increases.
- Increased body temperature.
Periostitis of the jaw
Causes of odontogenic periostitisjaws - infection from the destroyed pulp into the periosteum. The "risk group" here is the lower jaw: large molars, wisdom teeth. At the top, the pathological process most often affects the large molars and the first small teeth.
The pain is pronounced. When chewing, it intensifies, pulsates. The development of regional lymphadenitis and an increase in body temperature.
Features of the course of the disease in children
Odontogenic periostitis in children is a very dangerous condition. This is due to the fact that the resistance of the immune system in children is still quite low, and this inflammatory process is acute and rapidly progressing. Young patients will have a high temperature, symptoms of intoxication, a high risk of complications.
The disease manifests itself as follows:
- A growing state of general weakness.
- A child complains of a sharp pain of incomprehensible localization - it is felt first in the tooth, then in the ear, then in the cheek.
- Sometimes coincides with teething.
- Temperature rises and stays at 38 degrees.
In this condition, you need to contact your doctor as soon as possible! If you want to somehow alleviate the child's condition yourself before going to the doctor, pay attention to the following:
- Don't apply compresses, heating pads or any other kind of heat to a swollen cheek! In heat, pathogenic microorganisms will multiply even more.
- Don't give your child hot drinks.
- It is best to lie on a he althy, not onsore cheek.
- Make sure that the child does not touch the affected gum with his fingers: you can introduce an additional infection or accidentally open the abscess.
It is important to calm the child and explain to him that without a visit to the doctor, pain cannot be coped with.
Diagnosis
This disease requires an appointment with a dentist, maxillofacial surgeon. Differential diagnosis of odontogenic periostitis is as follows:
- Visual and instrumental examination of the patient.
- Listen to patient complaints.
- X-ray.
- Blood test. Helps to determine the acute stage of the disease. Especially effective for children.
Based on the results of the diagnosis, the doctor chooses the appropriate treatment for odontogenic periostitis - medical or surgical.
Conservative Therapy
Medicated treatment focuses on the following:
- Fight against puffiness and inflammation. For these purposes, the patient is prescribed antibiotics, antimicrobial substances.
- Fight against the cause of flux - caries, tooth damage.
- Normalization of immunity, the body's defenses. Taking immunostimulating drugs.
- Calcium supplements for bone repair.
Surgery
This treatment includes the following:
- Opening an abscess, removing its contents, disinfecting the mouthcavity.
- Removal of a damaged tooth (if the radiograph showed that the cause of inflammation lies in it).
- Ultrasound.
- Iontophoresis.
- Laser therapy.
- Establishing a crown on a damaged tooth or replacing it with an implant.
Flux is a rather dangerous disease due to the possibility of spreading purulent contents to neighboring tissues. However, timely medical care helps to quickly get rid of it without negative consequences and complications.
