Dental Abscessed or Abscessed Tooth

suraya mir
3 min readJul 1, 2021

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A dental abscess or abscessed tooth is just a pocket of pus in numerous parts of a tooth because of a bacterial infection. It is also called a dental abscess. An abscessed tooth causes moderate to intense pain that will often radiate to your ear or neck.

Causes

  • A deep cavity
  • A cracked tooth.
  • Gum disease is also referred to as a periodontal infection.

Dental abscesses, in many cases, are painful, yet not constantly. It sometimes needs to be looked at by a dental practitioner. It is necessary to get assistance as quickly as possible, as abscesses don’t disappear entirely by themselves.

Types of Dental Abscessed or Abscessed tooth

The various types of dental abscesses depend on location. There are three common types which are:

  1. Periapical abscess. It is an abscess in the tip of the tooth root.
  2. Periodontal abscess. It is an abscess in the gum. It may additionally spread towards the muscle that is surrounding the bone tissue.
  3. Gingival abscess. It is an abscess regarding the gum tissue.

Sign and Symptoms of Dental Abscess

  • Inflammation of gums.
  • The redness is associated with the epidermis that is affected by gum.
  • Bleeding into the gum tissue
  • Swollen lymph glands.
  • Generally speaking, feeling unwell (malaise)
  • Loss in appetite
  • Fever
  • Feel tender
  • Feel loose in the jaw
  • Be sensitive to heat or cold within the mouth.
  • Sensitive to stress on the tooth or to being tapped.

Complications of Dental Abscess or Abscessed Tooth

Kept untreated, the disease can spread to your jaw along with other parts of the throat and brain, as well as your head. In rare circumstances, it could also induce sepsis. Here is a lethal complication of a disease. Go right to the emergency room when you have an abscessed tooth by:

  1. high temperature
  2. facial inflammation
  3. trouble swallowing
  4. quick heartbeat
  5. confusion

Because these all signs and symptoms are indications of a severe illness that requires immediate therapy.

Treatment

1.Pain Relief Medication

Your dentist may prescribe you over-the-counter or (painkillers) like acetaminophen (Tylenol) and Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are the most effective pain relievers for toothache. Pain relief drugs are prescribed only for short-term relief before extraction or root canal can be performed.

  • Ibuprofen (Advil)
  • Aspirin (Motrin)
  • Celecoxib (Celebrex)

2.Antibiotics

Antibiotics consider the first-line treatment for an abscessed tooth to decrease the infection and address abscess-related toothache and facial pain. Still, nowadays, they are used somewhat less often for the treatment of a dental abscess. Four types of antibiotics that are very common to treat dental abscess pain are:

  • Macrolides
  • Penicillin
  • Clindamycin
  • Metronidazole (Flagyl)

3.Root Canal

Endodontic therapy(root canal) is generally preferred as the first option for correcting and removing the infection that caused a tooth abscess. After a root canal, your dentist will need to place a dental crown to preserve your tooth from fracture.

Recovery Time: 1–2 days and dental Visits Required: 2–3

4.Tooth Extraction

In most cases, root canal therapy is either not advisable or possible for tooth abscess treatment. If so, you’ll need to have the tooth extracted.

Recovery Time:

  • Simple Extraction: 1–2 days
  • Surgical Extraction: 3–7 days and Dental Implant: 2–3 days per procedure; the process takes 6–12 months to complete.

How to treat the abscessed tooth at home?

Tips to Keep Your Teeth Healthy

Maintaining healthy teeth take a lifetime of care. It’s essential to take the proper steps every day to take care of them and prevent problems.

  1. Brush properly, and don’t go to bed without brushing your teeth; brushing before bed gets freed of the germs and Plaque, which accumulate during the day.
  2. Use fluoride toothpaste as fluoride is a leading defense against tooth decay.
  3. Limit sugary and acidic foods.
  4. Drink more water.
  5. Don’t neglect your tongue because Plaque can also build up on your tongue.

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