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Pericoronitis is a potentially serious inflammation of the gum tissue that typically involves the wisdom teeth. This approach used by biological dentists to resolve the problem can prevent extraction!
Several years ago, I wrote an article concerning the frustratingly persistent myths about wisdom tooth extraction. Whether dentists care to admit it or not, the truth is that in over two-thirds of cases, wisdom teeth absolutely do NOT need to be removed. This according to Dr. Jay Friedman DDS in a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Unless wisdom teeth are specifically causing a problem, then extraction should never even be considered. The very real risks of serious complications and oral damage down the road from the procedure far outweigh the overhyped “benefits” of having third molars removed. (1)
You’re welcome. If you have children, that piece of research just saved you a lot of money.
What if there ARE complications with wisdom teeth such as the potentially serious condition known as pericoronitis? I just experienced this very scenario with my oldest child who recently graduated from high school. The good news is that you can probably still avoid wisdom tooth extraction.
What is Pericoronitis?
A frequent problem when the wisdom teeth come in is that a flap of gum tissue overlaps the chewing surface of the tooth. This soft tissue is known as an operculum. It is typically difficult to access using normal oral hygiene methods and as such prone to infection and inflammation.
In my son’s case, the problem involved both of his lower wisdom teeth. The gum tissue overlapped about half the chewing surface. The upper wisdom teeth are fine.
This flap of skin causes issues with keeping the wisdom teeth clean. In addition, small bits of food easily can become trapped under the overlapping gum tissue, where a toothbrush or even saliva cannot reach. Chronic inflammation or an acute infection can result.
Chronic
My son dealt with mild pericoronitis from time to time for about a year. Fortunately, the situation resolved very quickly each time. Then, a couple of months ago, after eating some soaked nuts and seeds, tiny food particles got trapped under the gum on one side. He was unable to clean it using normal dental hygiene. The gum became infected, the jaw swelled, he spiked a fever, and the pain became very intense.
He would describe it as the worst pain he has ever experienced!
Acute
At that point, I thought that his wisdom teeth would need to come out. I made an emergency appointment with our holistic dentist, who thoughtfully counseled against extraction. He said that simple surgery to remove the excess gum should do the trick. This would preserve the integrity of all four wisdom teeth, which are all in very good shape, straight and in alignment with the other teeth.
The first order of business, though, was to resolve the acute pericoronitis infection.
Recovery Without Antibiotics
Our natural dentist prescribed an herbal antibiotic called Restenoril instead of pharmaceutical antibiotics for the pericoronitis infection. My children have never taken drug-based antibiotics, so if an option existed to resolve the gum infection naturally, I was all in. Avoiding antibiotics is very important when possible as gut damage from a single round of antibiotics can persist for years or even be permanent. I was grateful our dentist shared my sentiments on the issue.
Restenoril contains the powerful anti-inflammatory herb derived from the stems of the Burmese plant Andrographis paniculata. Our dentist prescribed 2 capsules in the morning and 2 again in the evening. This herbal antibiotic proved very effective with no gut destruction or side effects like what happens with meds. The infection resolved completely within a few days and the gum inflammation cleared about a week later.
Surgery to Remove Overlapping Gum
With the infection healed, the next step was to prevent a recurrence of pericoronitis in the future. This involved removal of the overlapping gum tissue that was partially covering the chewing surface of the lower wisdom teeth.
Why Bother to Keep the Wisdom Teeth?
Why not just extract the wisdom teeth when pericoronitis presents as an issue? For one thing, this would be like using a firehose to put out a candle.
If a much less invasive, less complicated, and very low-risk procedure works instead of just ripping out all 4 wisdom teeth, then why not do that? In addition, it is much better for long term health to KEEP the wisdom teeth if at all possible! This key point is missed by conventional dentistry entirely.
Removal of the wisdom teeth runs the high risk of complications, damage, and trauma to the jaw and oral nerves. In addition, each tooth via the nervous system affects the functioning of the internal organs. Removing all 4 wisdom teeth can actually hinder the optimal functioning of your internal organs for the rest of your life! This chart on tooth meridians, an important aspect of Eastern medicine, illustrates which organs the health of each tooth affects.
Risk of Pericoronitis Recurrence
If removing opercula is chosen instead of tooth extraction, there is some risk that the gum tissue could simply grow back. However, our natural dentist said the chance of this happening was very low. In my son’s case, the wisdom teeth are fully erupted and properly in line with the other teeth. Moreover, if the gum did grow back, it probably wouldn’t grow back completely. In other words, the regrowth would be small enough (around 20%) to not cause problems.
The surgery took less than an hour with only a local anesthetic necessary. For those who get extremely anxious at the dentist, laughing gas is also an option.
This compares with wisdom tooth extraction which frequently involves the risk of putting a patient totally under.
Two stitches were required on each side after the removal of the excess gum tissue. My son was sent home with no prescriptions.
No Antibiotics after Gum Surgery
Yes, you read that right. NO PRESCRIPTIONS for antibiotics or pain after dental surgery. Conventional dentists would never think something like that is even possible!
My son simply continued on his 2 in the morning, 2 in the evening Restenoril herbal antibiotic for the next week. For pain, the dentist sent him home with homeopathic arnica (3 pills per day). He only needed it for one day.
The stitches stayed in for a full week. After that, the stitches were removed by the dentist and the gums examined.
Gum Swelling Remained after Surgery
After removing the stitches, slight gum inflammation remained such that tissue still partially covered the lower wisdom teeth. The dentist suspected that some food had adhered to the stitches causing mild gingivitis to develop. With the stitches now removed, my son could keep the area squeaky clean.
To facilitate the resolution of the swelling, the dentist recommended a monoject or hobby syringe for a week to shoot a stream of 3% hydrogen peroxide in between the swollen gum and the back of the lower wisdom teeth after meals. This would disinfect the area and keep it very clean. A hobby syringe only costs a few dollars and is easy to use. Using colloidal silver or ozonated water instead of hydrogen peroxide works too.
The good news is that after a week of using the hobby syringe, the gum swelling resolved with no gum tissue covering any part of the lower wisdom teeth. As a result, my son required no further treatment!
Note: if after the swelling resolved some gum tissue still covered the wisdom teeth, the dentist planned to use a laser to trim off a bit more tissue (no stitches). Fortunately, this turned out to be unnecessary.
Would You Like to Keep Your Wisdom Teeth Too?
I get many requests about who I recommend as a truly holistic dentist. If you are looking for one, I recommend Dr. Carlo Litano of Natural-Smiles.com – (727) 300-0044. He sees young children as well as adults and does phone consultations for those who do not live near his office. Be sure to tell Dr. Litano that Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist sent you and get 10% off your first visit!
Thanks so much for this post! I am heading to a “holistic” dentist tomorrow and I needed some ideas for what to do if I need treatment (abscess & toothe infection.) I have 4 impacted wisdom teeth and have contemplated have some of them removed if necessary. I started taking Natren Probiotics last night and the few days prior was eating pickled garlic and sauerkraut for natural probiotics. I’ve learned so much great information from your posts that I’d feel overwhelmed starting to research on my own. You are truly making a huge positive difference in many people’s lives including my own.
Thank you! Hugely informative post. It looks like the link for the natural antibiotic is no longer available so I’ll have to look elsewhere. I still have my WT and am currrntly experiencing what your son went through. I will follow these steps as a remedy. Keep up the good work!
wisdom teeth removal: a scam 🙂
Thank you for this helpful article. I have a couple questions #1 Would you suggest not having wisdoms teeth removed even if they are severely impacted? Mine were so badly impacted (growing sideways in the gums) that they never broke through the gums. My parents had them out. Also #2 Could you give me some more info on the natural antibiotic Restenoril? I have never heard of it is it readily available in the medical world. Do you have to have a prescription to use it? Thanks for your help.
My husband used Biocidin, recommended by one of the speakers at the Weston A Price Conference.
It got rid of the bacteria in a tooth and saved him from having a root canal. He also used Bacticin, no longer available.
Thank you for posting this. Only one of my siblings of 5 had their wisdom teeth removed, and he made that choice as an adult. Our teeth were a little crooked growing up, but as the jaw matured, the space improved for the most part. That is the only reason a dentist recommended removing my wisdom teeth as a teen, during the exploding era of braces. My parents opted not to remove mine nor follow through with braces. My bottom teeth overlap a tad, but no one sees them. My top teeth are fine. My teen son has crooked teeth and is embarrassed by them. We have had several dentists recommend braces for him, beginning at age 7! Out of the question then. At this point, we are still very hesitant as we do not like the idea of pulling teeth or removing his wisdom teeth to put in the braces. We have been waiting to see if his jaw matures enough to allow room for his teeth to straighten.
I had my wisdom teeth removed as I was getting food caught. I wish I had not gone ahead with it. The surgeon damaged the nerves in my jaw and tongue and now I cannot feel half my tongue. The feeling might never came back as the surgery was now 4 years ago. The trauma also damaged a tooth and I then had to have a root canal. I agree with your advice… don’t get your wisdom teeth out unless they absolutely have to. If I had known that I could have had the skin removed then this might have saved me from permanent injury – beware the the old saying “to the man with a hammer everything looks like a nail”.
Thank you for posting how a natural dentist handles an acute dental crisis without antibiotics or surgery! Amazing!
Hi,
I use an awesome holistic dentist who saved a few teeth from root canals.
I had my upper left wisdom tooth removed by him, after much trying and a ton of nutrition, the infection did not heal and it went into my sinuses.
Now the bottom left one has a huge hole and infection. I had the work done over 2 weeks ago and still in pain. My acupuncturist says that wisdom teeth are generally weaker and won’t heal nicely and I need to remove it to get rid of the pain.
What do u think about that
What would suggest about wisdom teeth that are impacted, pushing against other teeth? My son is 20 and has only 3 wisdom teeth (so did I), and at least 2 are impacted. He meant to have them taken out before he entered the Army last summer but they were bothering him so we left it alone.