Did you suddenly feel a sharp pain in your tooth when you drank ice-cold water? If the pain has become intense in the passing hours, you need to visit your family dentist. Your dentist will tell you immediately after examining your tooth that you have a condition called an abscessed tooth.
An abscessed tooth is when the surrounding area of your tooth becomes infected and if left untreated, it can cause your tooth to fall out or worse, spread to other areas of your mouth. Lucky for you, you don’t have to suffer from the constant throbbing tooth pain for long, as an easy solution to end your painful nightmare is to find a dentist.
The Dentist Can Determine the Cause of Abscessed Tooth
Your dentist can describe to you the different causes that lead to an abscessed tooth. One of the most common causes of this dental problem is an untreated cavity, infected with bacteria. When bacteria spread to the adjacent tissue, it creates an abscess.
This forces the gums to separate from the teeth, which creates pockets where the bacteria can safely grow and form an abscess. It is important for you to learn how to indicate that you have an abscessed tooth that needs treatment.
Identifying the Symptoms and Signs of an Abscessed Tooth
Even though intense pain is the most noticeable indication of an abscessed tooth, other signs may help you identify if you have an abscessed tooth. The nine other signs to keep an eye out for include:
- Excruciating toothache
- Red and swollen gums
- Swollen jaw and face
- Intense pain, especially when chewing food
- Unpleasant and salty taste in the mouth
- High fever
- Swollen, red, and oozing bump inside your mouth
- A tooth that pains when you touch it
When the infection spreads to other parts of your mouth, the pain will subside, but don’t take this as a sign of having your problem solved. The infection is causing your bone to dissolve, and this may cause you to lose your tooth.
What Can You Treat an Abscessed Tooth?
You need to find a dentist to have the abscessed tooth looked at. The dentist depending on how far gone the infection is may suggest the following treatments:
- Give you antibiotics to eliminate the bacteria
- Deplete the infection to alleviate the pain
- Perform a root canal procedure to take out the infected tissue in the tooth
- Remove the tooth if you do not want to sit through a root canal procedure or in the event the root canal is unsuccessful in eliminating the infection.
An abscessed tooth is a preventable problem, but still, most patients visit Spring Cypress Dental for this problem. We suggest to our patients to brush their teeth regularly, at least twice a day, don’t forget to floss after meals and before going to bed especially, and continue to visit us for regular dental check-ups.