Dentist Encino: All About Abscesses - Balboa Victory Dental

What You Need To Know About Abscesses

July 25, 2017 Balboa Victory Dental

Don’t Let an Abscess Develop Into a Serious Situation

Hello, and welcome back to our blog! Here at Balboa Victory Dental Office, we want to make sure that all of our Encino area patients are as educated as possible in relation to dental health issues. We feel that education is one of the best ways to help people make sure their mouth is as healthy as possible. In today’s post, we are going to talk about abscesses, one of the most painful conditions that can affect a person’s teeth and gums. Despite the fact that they are painful, abscesses are a serious issue because, if left to their own devices, they can lead to serious infections of the jaw and lead to further damage to surrounding teeth. Continue reading below to learn a little more about abscesses and what you should do if you have developed one.

What is an Abscess?

In the simplest terms, an abscessed tooth occurs when an infection develops in a tooth’s root or between the gum and the tooth. Abscesses are most commonly caused by severe tooth decay, trauma to a tooth, such as a chip or crack, and gingivitis. These issues can cause openings to develop in the enamel of the tooth allowing bacteria to infect the center of the tooth, known as the dental pulp. This infection can then spread to the root of the tooth to the bones in the jaw that support the tooth.

What are the Symptoms of an Abscess?

For most people, an abscess begins as a small toothache. This can be problematic because, for the most part, people tend to ignore toothaches in the early stages in the hopes that the toothache will go away. However, an abscess will not go away on its own and the only way to effectively treat this issue is to visit a dentist. Other symptoms of an abscessed tooth include:

Fever
Bitter taste in the mouth
Pain when chewing
Swollen neck glands
Redness and swelling of the gums
Open, draining sore on the side of the gum

While it is true that the toothache may stop if the root of the tooth dies as a result of the infection, this does not mean that the infection has healed. In instances where the pain has stopped, the infection is often still active and can continue to spread and destroy tissue that it comes in contact with.

How is an Abscessed Tooth Treated?

To test for an abscessed tooth, most dentists will first inspect the area of the gum surrounding the sore tooth and then probe the tooth with a dental pick. After making sure that the person is actually suffering from an abscessed tooth, the dentist will come up with a plan to eliminate the infection of the dental pulp, preserve the tooth, and prevent any further complications. In most cases, in order to eliminate the infection, the abscess will need to be done. This is most commonly accomplished by performing root canal therapy and removing any infected dental pulp that is found. After the tooth has been thoroughly rid of infection, a crown is typically placed on top in order to make sure that no further damage can occur to the root. In some cases, if the tooth has become too compromised, it will have to extracted and a dental implant or dental bridge will be put in its place.

We hope that this blog has been informative and that you feel like you know a little more about abscesses. If you think you may have an abscess or you simply want to get your teeth looked at by our dentist, please contact us today or visit our website to schedule an appointment. We are the best choice in the encino area for all of your dental needs and we are certain that we can help you make sure that your teeth and mouth are as healthy as possible.