Causes | Inflammation of the jaw

Causes

The causes for an inflammation of the jaw bone are broadly diversified. It can be caused by a fracture that is accompanied by an opening to the oral cavity. However, it can also be caused by a tooth that has been in a very advanced carious state for a long time if left untreated, by an infection or an accumulation of pus.

This is also the most common cause, since poor oral hygiene and the bacteria that accumulate in the teeth can attack the hard tooth substance. The bacteria come a little closer to the bone. If this is not treated, they work their way up to the tooth pulp, where pus forms.

From there the bacteria can spread into the bone tissue and form an abscess in the jaw. In addition, if a tooth is removed that is in a highly inflammatory stage, this can lead to the disease. This could be possible with a wisdom tooth removal.Pus can accumulate in the maxillary sinus and thus cause an inflammation of the jaw.

If bone tissue dies for various reasons, the risk of inflammation is the same as for a cyst. Especially a cyst of the jaw can lead to severe complaints. Various external factors can promote the development of such an inflammation.

These include smoking and the use of drugs, diabetes mellitus, a poor immune system and inadequate nutrition. Irradiation of the bone due to cancer therapy can also promote the development of such an inflammation. This type of inflammation is also possible in infants and children.

Colds are in most cases caused by viruses. Inflammation of the jaws, on the other hand, is caused by the colonization of bacteria. These usually enter the bone through fractures, caries, periodontitis or other inflammatory changes in the surrounding tissue.

A cold can lead to an inflammation of the maxillary sinuses (sinusitis). However, in these cases the inflammation of the mucous membranes of the maxillary sinuses does not spread to the bone. In conclusion, this means that a viral cold is in most cases not a cause for an inflammation of the jaw.

Infections of the jaw can refer to the bone or the periosteum surrounding it. They can occur after an operation and may be of bacterial origin, for example. However, thermal (temperature-related), pressure-induced or chemical influences can also cause inflammation.

Inflammation after a root canal treatment is usually the result of a previously treated gangrene of the pulp (cell death of the nerve) and the resulting bacterial remains, which are located in the branches of the root tip and were not completely removed during the rinsing process. Inflammations around the dental implant are called peri-implantitis. Here too, the cause is usually invading bacteria. However, an inflammation can also be a consequence of incorrectly loaded prosthetics (dentures).