Dental abscesses are known as a type of infection. Within this infection it could be categorized into two different types of abscesses, periapical abscess and periodontal abscess. A periapical abscess involves the infection at the root of the tooth. On the other hand, the periodontal abscess occurs in the gum. Periapical abscess occurs when a tooth decay travels into the nerve chamber thus killing the nerve and the pulp tissue. Issues such as this could occur due to traumatic injury or a crack in a tooth that could possibly expose the nerve inside for damage. Other than damage, the nerve could also die from it. As for periodontal disease is the result of a chronic gum infection that weakens the bones over time and causes the loss of a tooth if left untreated. At the same time, if untreated, the infection could spread throughout the mouth and form abscess. No matter where the infection started in the mouth, periapical or periodontal, it would be detrimental if the infection is not treated as soon as possible. If the infection were to spread throughout the mouth due to delay in treatment, there could be abscess in more than one area in the mouth.

Symptoms of Dental Abscesses

There are many symptoms of an abscess to notify a patient to seek treatment immediately before the infection spreads throughout the mouth which could result in detrimental consequences. The symptoms of dental abscesses include but does not exclude:

• severe pain and throbbing on the jawbone that could radiate to the neck or ear. It is like a toothache however the pain is intensified.
• Swollen lymph nodes.
• Tooth sensitivity to hot and cold food/liquid that lingers even after a long time.
• Bad breath
• Constant rotten or sour taste lingering in your mouth
• Heightened sensitivity to pressure.
• Fever.
• Obvious facial swelling.
• Soreness from neck and jaw.

At the same time, it is also important to note that, not all abscess cause pain, in rare cases, abscesses could cause no pain at all. The buildup of gases or fluid in the tooth causes the discomfort of the abscess as the infection spreads which causes the nerve to die. In other cases, the infection spreads to the gum, creating a bubble. Once the bubble pops, the bacteria it contains would drain into the gum tissue and mouth, reducing the pain that the patient feels. However, this does not mean that the infection is gone, it just means that the pressure from the bubble is being relieved.

Treatment for Dental Abscesses

Antibiotics could be prescribed to destroy the bacteria surrounding the abscess. However, the abscess is still not fully treated with just antibiotics, the infected tooth, nerve damage, and/or periodontal disease are still not fully dealt with. If the abscess is there due to a dying nerve, the best possible solution would be to do a root canal and clean out the infected tissue. A crown or a cap could be put/covered over the infected area to seal them. This is also done to prevent any further damage or breakage to the tooth. If the infection treatment is being delayed for too long, and it has spread and affected the root of the tooth, an extraction would be suggested, followed by a crown to replace the infected tooth. On the other hand, root planning and scaling could be done if the abscess is due to periodontal disease. Root planning and scaling is a type of deep cleaning that is done with anesthetic and specialized instruments. In some cases, lasers are used to help sterilize the pocket after the treatment to minimize the chances of bacteria re-infecting the area.