A dental abscess is a collection of pus located in the tooth roots and/or gums as a result of a bacterial infection. In most cases, it resembles a pimple, and it can appear in different areas of a tooth for various reasons. A dental abscess can result in severe pain and great discomfort for most patients. If it’s left untreated, it can turn into a serious and life-threatening condition. If you happen to have a tooth abscess, you may be wondering why you have one and how to treat it.
Read on to find out more about dental abscess- its symptoms, cause and treatment.
Know the Signs and Symptoms of Dental Abscess
The main symptom of a tooth abscess is a pain. Usually, this may be unbearable and intense pain. In most instances, this pain starts suddenly and becomes more intense as time goes by. The pain typically radiates to the jawbone, neck and ear. However, there are other symptoms to look out for; they include:
- A bad taste in the mouth
- Difficulties in swallowing
- Hot or cold sensitivity
- Problems opening the mouth
- Pain in the affected area when biting or chewing
- Tender and swollen lymph nodes in your neck or under your jaw
- Fever
Causes of Dental Abscess
A dental abscess is often caused by untreated tooth decay, a fractured tooth, a broken filling or from a gum infection. The mouth is always full of bacteria, however, they are kept out of the tooth by the tooth enamel. So, when tooth decay erodes the enamel, or your tooth gets fractures, bacteria gets the chance of entering your tooth. When this happens, your immune system sends white blood cells to fight the bacteria, and as a result pus, dead tissues and bacteria are formed. And since there is no enough room in your tooth to accommodate the infected materials, a pocket of pus is formed at the root of your tooth.
Dental Abscess Treatments
With proper treatment and care, your dental abscess and toothache can be completely cured. A tooth abscess can be treated in several ways, including a gum incision to drain out the infection or a root canal where the infected tissues are scraped out, and the tooth is repaired with a crown. In other extreme cases, tooth extraction may be the only treatment option. Therefore, the dentist will pull out the infected tooth and clean out the abscess to get rid of the infection. You may be prescribed some antibiotics if you have a weak immune system or to eliminate the risks of re-infection.
Bottom Line
As soon as you start experiencing any tooth pain or develop a toothache, ensure that you visit your dentist immediately. A dental abscess is not something that will just fade away on its own. You will save yourself some trouble and throbbing pain if you get the problem diagnosed and treated early enough.
