The treatment of “fluxes” is carried out by a dental surgeon.
Do you feel afraid of the dentist?
Flux is the common name for any swelling in the cheek area and partly the neck - periodontitis, periostitis, complications of pulpitis and other inflammations. If you have inflammation of any origin or form, localized on the gums and in the oral cavity in general, you should definitely see a dentist.
Dental treatment
If the dentist does not treat the tooth correctly or completely, it can cause swelling in the cheek.
Causes:
- Allergic reaction.
It appears in the patient as a result of intolerance to the components of the filling. To eliminate swelling, you should visit a doctor and replace the installed filling with a hypoallergenic one.
- Removal of a tooth.
If the cheek is swollen after surgery, then the patient probably ignored the doctor’s recommendations and ate solid or hot foods.
- Nerve removal.
Swelling occurs if part of the nerve is not removed. It is important to see a dentist immediately so as not to lose a healthy tooth.
- Gum section.
Usually required to remove accumulated pus. If the swelling does not subside while taking anti-inflammatory drugs, this may be a serious symptom that requires the attention of a specialist.
Benign neoplasms of the oral cavity
“Something” that appears in the mouth does not grow, does not appear in a new place and, in principle, does not hurt. This means that the tumor is benign in nature. They, in turn, are divided into several subspecies.
Epithelial growths: papillomas, nevi, Serre glands. Papilloma is a small protrusion with “papillary” growths; when left in the mouth for a long time, it becomes rough and whitish. A nevus that varies in color, ranging from pale pink to brown. If you notice a yellowish semicircle above the upper or lower gums, it is most likely a Serra gland.
There are many more types of connective tissue tumors. Fibroids of identical color form on the lower lip, tongue or palate. After inflammation of the gums, compactions can form - fibromatosis. Lumps on the muscle tissue on the underside of the tongue and underneath it are called fibroids.
In addition to connective tumors, neoplasms of the oral mucosa are vascular. More often they develop in children and appear after diseases of the nasopharynx.
What to do if your cheek is swollen
To reduce swelling, you can use one of the following tips:
- Rinse your mouth with a solution of salt and soda.
This remedy has an antiseptic effect and helps destroy pathogens. You can enhance the effect by adding a couple of drops of iodine to the solution.
- Use chamomile infusion to rinse
, sage or other medicinal herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Apply a cold compress to the swollen cheek
if the swelling is caused by a bite or mechanical injury. This method is contraindicated in patients who have an elevated body temperature or a tumor that develops due to inflammatory processes. Warming compresses are not recommended.
- Lotions with aloe or Kalanchoe juice.
A cotton wool soaked in the juice of the plant is applied to the inside of the affected cheek.
If the described methods do not eliminate the problem, you should seek help from a doctor. The day before, you should not take painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, so as not to complicate the diagnosis.
The dangers of flux and the dentist's tasks
It is the identification of such foci and their elimination, especially in persons suffering from inflammatory processes of internal organs and in pregnant women, that is one of the essential tasks of a dentist. Untimely sanitation of the oral cavity or its absence in the presence of teeth affected by chronic periodontitis can lead to the development of a number of more severe inflammatory processes, the first of which is acute purulent periostitis.
Purulent periostitis
This disease is an acute purulent inflammation of the periosteum of the alveolar process of the jaw and accounts for up to 40% of complications of odontogenic infection, mainly chronic periodontitis. The cause of the development of this disease is most often large molars, which are primarily affected by the carious process.
The clinical picture of acute purulent periostitis is diverse and depends on the nature of the microflora, localization and extent of the inflammatory process. When the upper jaw is affected, the external manifestations of acute inflammation, in particular hyperemia, infiltration and swelling of soft tissues, are usually more pronounced than when the flux is localized in the lower jaw. However, the phenomena of general intoxication are more pronounced when the alveolar process of the lower jaw is affected, which is due to the difference in the anatomical and topographic relationships of soft tissues and jaw bones.
When examining the oral cavity, smoothness or swelling of the transitional fold of the mucous membrane of the vestibule of the oral cavity, its hyperemia, and sharp pain when touched by the dentist’s hands or instruments are noticeable.
It should be borne in mind that the pain in the “causal” tooth due to the release of exudate (liquid released into the tissue or cavity of the body from small blood vessels during inflammation) beyond the periodontal gap subsides to a certain extent, but slight mobility of the tooth appears. This circumstance sometimes serves as a justification for delaying visiting a doctor and as a cause of aggravated course of the inflammatory process in the future.
The diagnosis of “acute purulent periostitis” is an absolute indication for surgical intervention in the form of opening and drainage of the periosteal purulent focus and removal of the “causal” tooth.
Options for non-drug treatment (physiotherapy) depend on the patient’s general condition, age, and concomitant chronic diseases. In the latter case, the volume and nature of drug treatment is determined by the dentist of the appropriate profile. It is especially important to carry out adequate treatment in patients suffering from rheumomyocarditis, diabetes mellitus, nephritis and some other chronic diseases.
Another complication of chronic granulating periodontitis is the development of acute odontogenic osteomyelitis , accompanied by the formation of phlegmons and abscesses of the cellular spaces of the face and neck.
These complications of flux are the most severe and dangerous result of the progression of odontogenic infection, and depending on the location and nature of the microflora, they can lead to severe complications including the development of sinus thrombosis and mediastinitis.
It is their timely diagnosis in somatic patients that largely determines the outcome of the disease.
The clinical manifestations of phlegmon are different and depend on the location of the flux (deep, superficial), the nature of the pathogen (aerobic, anaerobic flora), body resistance, concomitant diseases, age, etc.
Today, persistent, sluggish chronic necrotic processes in the bone and soft tissues of the face often occur against the background of drug addiction.
Deep phlegmons of the pterygomaxillary, infratemporal, peripharyngeal spaces are manifested by sharp pain of the corresponding localization, severe manifestations of general intoxication up to acute intoxication psychosis, severe inflammatory contracture of the masticatory muscles, pain when swallowing, with an almost complete absence of external manifestations: hyperemia, infiltration, fluctuations, etc. .
Underestimation of certain symptoms of gumboil can lead to a delay in seeking dental care, ineffective therapy and progression of the inflammatory process.
Why do my gums or cheeks swell?
In most cases, swelling of the gums or cheeks is caused by purely dental reasons:
- Flux
During gumboil, the gums become swollen and painful, and the temperature rises. The development of a tumor begins with an ordinary carious cavity. It gets infected, which eventually leads to tooth decay. Pus accumulates and begins to look for a way out. The cheek swells greatly and a white spot appears on its surface. Without treatment, a fistula forms in this place, and the cheek turns into a huge purulent wound. If you do not seek help from a doctor in time, blood poisoning may occur.
- Removal of a tooth
This operation inevitably involves damage to soft tissue, and swelling is a natural phenomenon. After a while it subsides. If this does not happen, and the gums swell more and more, then you need to urgently visit a doctor. Causes of severe swelling can be:
- a large accumulation of pus,
- incipient periostitis (inflammation of the periosteum),
- infection in the wound.
If you notice swelling of the cheeks and gums, or tissues of the oral cavity, then you need to consult a dentist.
The doctor will determine the exact cause, begin treatment or refer you to another specialist.
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- Inflammatory infiltrate
It usually occurs against the background of pulpitis or periodontitis. Pus begins to accumulate in the soft tissues, which causes the appearance of phlegmons and abscesses. It is considered a very dangerous disease because it can lead to big troubles.
- Periodontal disease
Swelling is accompanied by aching or sharp pain. There is no conservative treatment; surgical intervention is necessary. Often it is necessary to remove some teeth and install dentures.
- Teeth chips
The sharp edges of a destroyed tooth begin to scratch the inner walls of the cheek, which leads to inflammation and severe swelling.
- Wisdom tooth growth, pericoronitis
The eruption of the figure eight often leads to inflammation of the gingival hood. Swelling, as a rule, extends to both the cheek and gum.
- Carious teeth
Advanced caries often causes not only the gums to swell, but also the tonsils and cheeks. After eliminating the cause, the swelling gradually goes away. Folk remedies are useless here; urgent medical help is needed.
- Cyst
Depending on the type of cyst, its shape, and location, the doctor decides on conservative or surgical treatment. In some cases, a consultation with an oncologist may be required.
- Gum disease
Swelling is one of the main signs of inflammation of periodontal tissue. Without treatment, the disease quickly becomes chronic and difficult to treat. There is a high chance of losing a tooth.
In addition to the reasons listed, swelling of the gums and cheeks can be caused by:
- inflammation of the facial nerves;
- pathologies of the maxillofacial skeleton;
- allergies;
- disruption of the immune system;
- inflammation of the submandibular and parotid lymph nodes as a result of an infectious disease;
- malignant neoplasm;
- facial injury;
- diseases of internal organs, such as the heart;
- eye diseases;
- blood pathologies.
What are the main causes of swelling with pain?
The main cause is inflammatory processes of periodontal tissues, which are caused by a number of pathological conditions.
- Advanced caries, bad habits, ignoring hygiene rules or poor-quality root canal filling. In most cases, swelling of the cheek is preceded by pain localized on the side of the affected tooth. The source of inflammation is located in the root area and after a few days a flux can form, which without treatment transforms into an abscess.
- Very often, swelling of the cheek occurs due to disruption of the eruption of wisdom teeth. In this case, purulent inflammation is caused by the formation of a pocket (hood) between the gum and the dental unit itself. In addition, due to lack of space in the jaw arch, molars can occupy an unphysiological position and injure the buccal mucosa.
- Inflammation caused by infection of the socket after the removal of a molar very often leads not only to swelling of the cheek, but also to more serious consequences.
- A dental cyst is characterized by asymptomatic formation over a long period of time; when it increases to 5-7 mm, the neoplasm presses on the bone. The pathology is characterized by acute throbbing pain, accompanied by swelling and redness of the gums, as well as deterioration of the general condition.
The danger of inflammatory processes in the oral cavity lies in the close proximity of pathogenic swelling to the tissues of the face and brain. If left untreated, there is a high risk of phlegmon and abscess formation, which in extreme situations can lead to death.
