Abscessed Teeth
Abscessed Teeth
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An
abscess in the tooth refers to an infection that was caused by a pocket of pus
residing in the tissue around the tooth.
Abscesses are very serious conditions, and can lead to serious matters
if they aren’t treated immediately. When
the pulp of a tooth dies due to damage or decay, bacteria will begin to grow
from the dead tissue that is left. This
bacteria will eventually spread from the root of the dead tooth into the tissue
that is below and create a pocket of pus - the abscess.
Gum
disease is also a cause for a tooth becoming abscessed. Gum diseases causes the gums to pull back and
away from teeth, leaving pockets behind.
When one of the pockets becomes blocked, the bacteria can grow and
spread, or get backed up. When this happens,
an abscess will start to form under the surface of the gums and become apparent
will swelling as it gets bigger and spreads.
Once
the infection has started to spread, your jawbone may start to dissolve as it
makes room for the swelling in the area that has been infected. Once the bone starts to dissolve, the
pressure will be greatly reduced, although the infection will still be
there. Even though you will get relief,
the infection will get worse - and the pain will always come back. Once more of the bone has been dissolved,
there will be nothing left to support the tooth, meaning that it will become
loose and end up needing to be extracted.
The
symptoms of an abscessed tooth are easy to see, as they include severe pain in
the affected area, red or swollen gums, a bad taste in your mouth, swelling
around the area or the jaw, and possibly a high fever. Pain is excruciating with an abscess,
normally affecting the area in a bad way.
No matter what you do, the pain seems to intensify.
Abscesses
mostly occur with back teeth, although they can happen in the front as
well. Once your tooth has become
abscessed, your dentist won’t immediately pull it. If a tooth that has abscessed is extracted
once the infection is still present, it can quickly spread. Your dentist will instead prescribe you some
antibiotics that can help to destroy the bacteria.
The
dentist can also perform a root canal, in an attempt to remove dead or decayed
tissue. Last but not least, he can also
drill a hole in the tooth to give the infection a chance to drain and try to
remove any dead pulp. The most common
treatment with an abscess is to use antibiotics to kill the infection, then get
the tooth removed. You should never let
it get that bad - as an abscess is something that can destroy your jawbone.
