Your teeth, just like any other part of your body, is prone to all type of bacterial infections. One of the most common oral infections that we see patients for at our office is a tooth abscess. Caused by bacteria entering the tooth, a dental abscess can be quite painful.
If you are experiencing pain in your mouth, but you just aren’t sure what it’s caused by, then this article is just for you. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the basics of a tooth abscess.
How Is It Caused?
Typically, when a patient has an abscessed tooth it’s caused by a cavity that has been left untreated. This type of abscess is called a periapical abscess. However, other patients suffer from what is called a periodontal abscess. that forms when bacteria enters on the sides of the gums and gets into the tooth’s root.
What Are The Symptoms?
- Fever
- Swelling in your face or cheek
- Sudden rush of foul-smelling and foul-tasting, salty fluid in your mouth and pain relief, if the abscess ruptures
- Sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures
- Severe, persistent, throbbing toothache that can radiate to the jawbone, neck or ear
- Sensitivity to the pressure of chewing or biting
- Tender, swollen lymph nodes under your jaw or in your neck
How Can It Be Treated?
In some instances, we can treat an abscessed tooth with a root canal to clear out all of the bacteria. The benefit of doing a root canal is that it’s designed to save your tooth. If, however, the bacteria are too deep and severe then we may have to pull the tooth. During your examination, we will do some x-rays to determine which option is the best treatment for you.
The last thing that we want is for patients to be in pain for a few weeks and then have it turn into something like an abscessed tooth. At the first sign of tooth pain, come into our office for an exam. Contact our Webster office and call us at (832) 479-4676.
