Fistula operation – yes or no?
Yes!
A fistula in the mouth is the body’s reaction to a chronic infection. A fistula can appear just about anywhere in the body, either bone or tissue (e.g. muscles and inner organs).
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Like the Latin said – “Ubi Pus, ibi evacuvave” – wherever you find pus, empty it out!
Doctors are not the only ones who act according to this principle, our body does too! Imagine you have a chronic infection somewhere in your body – for example the bone around the dental root (e.g. due to a badly performed root canal). Pus starts to form, which the body tries to get rid of, the medical term being abscess. The tissue around this bubble of pus – the abscess – is destroyed, forming a path of pus towards the inside of the mouth.
Fistula:
If the inflammation is not treated, the pus turns into a fistula. As the body tries to „minimize“ both the infection and the extent of the pus, it constructs a special type of granulate tissue around the pus … forming a fistula, protecting the tissue around it while the pus empties out.
A fistula is basically a kind of artificial garden hose made by our body to get pus out of a wound – and in this case into the mouth. You usually notice a bump on your gums, and when you press it, pus comes out!
A fistula on the gums is always a sign that something is wrong, and it should not be left untreated, because the infection will spread and continue to destroy bone, the dark spot on the x-ray!
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