A tooth abscess is an infection that spreads from within the tooth to the tip of the root. The tooth has lost its ability to fight off infection, allowing for the spread of bacteria throughout the tooth.
Tooth abscesses can be caused by poor oral hygiene or dental care, as well as by grinding or clenching teeth, a high sugar diet, or tooth trauma, which can include dental procedures. A tooth abscess can occur in any tooth, but most often occurs in the third molars or the wisdom teeth. These teeth are difficult to keep clean and any subsequent decay that might occur may then go unnoticed. This is why wisdom teeth are often removed.
How do you know you have a tooth abscess? The tooth will turn darker than the surrounding teeth. There may be pain when eating or when the tooth is pressed. The gum around the tooth may swell, filled with pus. This often looks like a pimple and it can rupture to release the pus, denoting that it is severely infected. This is called a draining fistula. There may also be either a bad taste or bad smell in the mouth. Lastly, there may be swelling of the face, jaw, or surrounding lymph nodes. This can also result in jaw pain.
Not all abscessed teeth will show all of the above signs. There may not be any pain at all, as a result of the tooth losing its ability to feel stimuli.
To treat an abscessed tooth, in an adult, the infection must first be fully cleared. Most often, oral antibiotics are involved, such as . The tooth will be opened to remove the infected contents. Sometimes, the soft tissue will need to be drained.
After the infection is completely gone, a root canal will be performed. In some cases, the tooth may need to be removed entirely.
In children, the only option is to remove the tooth, to stop the spread of infection.
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