Pericoronitis - Signs and Symptoms

Signs and Symptoms

Possible signs and symptoms of acute pericoronitis depend upon the severity, and are variable. Chronic pericoronitis may cause few if any symptoms, but some signs are usually visible when the mouth is examined.

• Pain, which gets worse as the condition develops and becomes severe, The pain may be throbbing and radiate to the ear, throat, temporomandibular joint, posterior submandibular region and floor of the mouth. There may also be pain when biting. Sometimes the pain disturbs sleep.
• Tenderness, erythema (redness) and Edema (swelling) of the tissues around the involved tooth, which is usually partially erupted into the mouth. The operculum is characteristically very painful when pressure is applied.
• Bad taste in the mouth.
• Intra-oral halitosis.
• Formation of pus, which can be seen exuding from beneath the operculum (i.e. a pericoronal abscess), especially when pressure is applied to the operculum.
• Signs of trauma on the operculum, such as indentations of the cusps of the upper teeth, or ulceration. Rarely, the soft tissue around the crown of the involved tooth may show a similar appearance to necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis.
• Trismus (difficulty opening the mouth). Indeed, pericoronitis is one of the most common causes of temporary trismus.
• Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing).
• Cervical lymphadenitis (inflammation and swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck), especially of the submandibular nodes.
• Facial swelling, and rubor, often of the cheek that overlies the angle of the jaw.
• Pyrexia (fever).
• Leukocytosis (increased white blood cell count).
• Malaise (general feeling of being unwell).
• Anorexia (loss of apetite).