How a General Dentist Treats a Dental Abscess

As a local general dentist, we help patients that are suffering from a variety of oral health issues.  While cleaning teeth, we are able to remove bacteria and plaque from the teeth and gums, which can prevent cavities and gum disease from forming.  If we identify that there are oral health issues, we can generally correct them by removing the infection and using a filling or crown to protect the area.  If the infection is in the gums, we can perform a deep cleaning underneath the gum line to remove the bacteria.  When people have regular dental exams, we can stay on top of their oral health and prevent things like a dental abscess from forming.

A dental abscess is an infection of the tooth that spreads into the gums and eventually into the jaw and face bones.  It is normally very painful. Luckily there are signs along the way that someone needs treatment, signs that a dentist will identify early and go to work preventing an abscess from developing.  Keep in mind that an abscess starts as a smaller tooth infection, which may include a normal cavity.  A cavity will cause tooth sensitivity and may hurt when you bite down or chew on something hard.  This is a sign that you need to schedule a dental exam.  If the pain gets worst and starts to spread into the gums, you have a dental emergency and need to see a dentist immediately.

When these smaller infections are caught in time the natural tooth can be saved, and a dental procedure can be performed with minimal pain and discomfort.  When they are left untreated, an abscess can form.  The signs of an abscess are different from that of a cavity because they are more intense.  If you notice any of these signs call and schedule an appointment with our general dentist quickly. Symptoms may include:

• Red and swollen face, neck, and jaw.
• Sensitivity to the touch.
• Flu like symptoms including throwing up, having the chills, or a fever.
• Gum inflammation.
• Oral swelling in general.
• Puss drainage.
• Difficulty swallowing.

All of these symptoms warrant a call to our dental office and scheduling an immediate dentist appointment. During the appointment, we will examine your mouth to determine where the infection is coming from.  We need to locate the core of the infection so that it can be treated and removed.  Difficult to locate abscesses may require an x-ray, especially if the infection is located deep inside of the tooth.  Once found, we will see if the abscess is drainable.  By draining the infected puss from within the infected area, the tooth can begin to heal.  An abscess, left untreated, can spread into the jaw bone or face bone.  When this happens, the infection typically has to be drained through a surgical process. Additionally, we will often prescribe antibiotics to help the body eliminate the infection, in addition to draining it.

Once the infection has been drained we will also identify any other areas that the infection may have affected that need to be cleaned, treated, or removed either by performing a root canal or filling cavity.  Visiting our general dentist office twice a year can prevent an abscess from ever forming because it allows us to identify and remove any impending infection before it becomes sever and causes unnecessary pain and discomfort for the patient.