18 Jan Why Does My Tooth Hurt? Part 3: Abscessed Tooth

Having a toothache is definitely not fun. Having a persistent and severe toothache is of course even worse than the occasional pain in the teeth or jaws. If you experience constant, persistent pain that is quite severe, you may have an abscessed tooth.   If so, you should consider contacting a Sugar Land dentist for help.

What is an Abscessed Tooth?

The abscessed tooth is typically due to an infection at the root of your tooth. If the infection is not treated, it may spread and you may lose the tooth or have other health problems. Over time as the infection spreads, the bone in your jaw may start to dissolve. That allows the pus to drain into the softer tissues which in turn decreases the pain. Bear in mind, the infection is still there and may potentially spread into other areas and affect other organs, which can be truly dangerous.

What causes and abscessed tooth?

• Damage to the tooth,
• Tooth decay. If decay is not treated, the bacteria from the decay cavity can spread around and cause infection to the surrounding tissues
• Gum disease. The infections of the gum are often without obvious symptoms, like pain. If left untreated, it can cause abscesses in the gum tissues but also affect the root of the tooth, causing an abscess.

How to Detect It?

The very obvious thing is the pain, of course. The pain is often a throbbing pain, especially when you chew. Still, when the pain comes, the infection has already spread quite a bit. It is very helpful if you can detect on some of the other signs of abscessed tooth, like:

• Intense redness of the gums
• Swollen gums
• Red, swollen bump in the mouth
• Swollen gland in your neck or under your jaw
• Fever
• Occasional blood or pus in the saliva
• Swollen jaw or face
• Bad taste
• Bad odor from the mouth
• Tooth that is sensitive or sore to touch

What to Do About It?

It’s vital that you see a family dentistry practice, which will prescribe antibiotics and may drain the abscess. There are really no home remedies available to treat an abscessed tooth safely and definitely.

If you have severe tooth pain, swollen face, swollen gums, blood or pus drainage or any of the symptoms of an abscessed tooth, do not delay; go to your dentist! The dentist will do an exam, take x-rays and possibly prescribe antibiotics. Possible dental treatments for an abscessed tooth include:

• Drainage of the abscess through incision with a scalpel or an instrument
• Make a hole in the tooth to drain the abscess through the tooth
• Emergency medication applied to the tooth
• Root canal
• Extraction of the tooth. If the decay is spread into the roots or is too extensive; or the root canal treatment cannot be performed.

At Imperial Dental Center, our experienced dental team lead by Dr. Angelova is happy to provide you with the latest technological solutions to treat your abscessed tooth. Patients with dental emergencies, such as an abscessed tooth are typically seen on the same day. We take great pride in our ability to address dental emergencies right away and treat our patients in the utmost diligent, competent and professional manner.