An abscess is a serious infection that affects your tooth’s root or the space between a tooth and your gum. It can be quite painful due to the inflammation or pressure and can be easily treated by an Emergency Dentist. Sometimes, you can feel the throbbing pain in your ear rather than your tooth, but it can also hurt your jaw or the side of your face. You might also experience a fever, red or inflamed gums, a lump that drains liquid or puss and possibly bad breath.
If you live in the Sacramento area, it is essential to make an appointment with our Roseville, CA office as soon as possible because the infection can easily spread and destroy additional tissue or bone.
What Causes an Abscessed Tooth?
Most abscessed teeth are a result of tooth decay, but they can also occur from a cracked tooth due to the presence of bacteria. Once bacteria enters a tooth, it can infect the tooth’s root. When you put off going to see your Sacramento dentist, you run the risk of that tooth becoming infected. Pus builds up putting pressure on the nerves because it has no way to drain.
Another form of abscess occurs from trauma or infection on the surface of your gum. This type is called a Gingival abscess and can progress to a Periodontal abscess if it moves deeper into the gum. The cause can also be from trapped food particles or other matter from improper brushing and flossing techniques. Since an abscess is an infection, pockets of pus can form at the gum area where the infection is located.
These are all urgent situations that need to be handled quickly in order to keep the infection from spreading. Since you can also lose the tooth if not treated soon enough, seeing an Emergency Dentist in the Sacramento area can often be the best choice.
How is an Abscessed Tooth Treated?
Treating a gum abscess can be done through the use of antibiotics to fight the infection, rinsing the mouth with salt water and pain medications. Depending on the cause of the infection, cleaning tartar and plaque from underneath the gum can also help the infection to heal.
When the abscess involves the tooth’s root, an Emergency Dentist can perform a root canal. This treatment method drains the infection and removes any dead matter. After cleaning out the tooth and nerves, a crown is placed on top of the tooth to protect it. When the abscess sits between the tooth and gum, the infection must be drained and then cleaned out. Sometimes, the gum must be reshaped to prevent the abscess from coming back.
When a root canal isn’t possible due to the degree of infection or damage, the tooth may need to be pulled. For those who live in the Sacramento area, it is never a good idea to wait because most of the time, an abscessed tooth can be saved by seeing an Emergency Dentist right away.
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