Abscessed Tooth - Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

When a tooth persistently hurts with pain, throbs in the gum and does not let you sit still – it could be something more than a simple toothache. In short, having an abscessed tooth is never fun. An abscessed tooth is due to an infection within a tooth that has spreaded to the root tip or around the root. If you say that an abscessed tooth can be painful, it is an understatement as it can be agonizing and can have some serious consequences if you wait too long to treat it or leave it untreated entirely.

The good news is that this severe pain can be treated quickly without any pain. All you need is to make an appointment with a dentist near you to know about the causes and the treatment it needs.

What is a Tooth Abscess?

A tooth abscess is an infection within the tooth. The pain can hit you quite suddenly and seems to come out of nowhere.

Symptoms of Abscessed Tooth

The telltale sign of an abscessed tooth is sharp throbbing pain that you cannot ignore. The pain can be agonizing and keep you up at night and force you to book an appointment with your dentist on immediate basis. The pain can also be accompanied by several other symptoms such as:

●     Teeth Sensitivity

●     Swollen jaw

●     Swollen lymph nodes in the neck

●     Fever

●     Bitter Taste

●     Pain while chewing food

●     Foul smell

●     A draining sore on the gum

●     Pain in the bone around the affected tooth

What Cause an Abscessed Tooth?

There are many causes for a tooth abscess. The most common cause is when a dental cavity becomes so deep that it reaches the pulp chamber, the living part of the tooth which has all the sensations. It leads to inflammation of the pulp (pulpitis) leading to severe toothache. What happens is that when a cavity or a decayed tooth is left untreated for long, destructive process approaches the living pulp, leading to severe toothache.

The second cause of tooth abscess is physical trauma to the tooth. If the tooth is hurt and is subsequently broken or chipped – it is vulnerable to infection. A broken tooth opens the door for bacteria to enter inside the dental pulp that contains blood vessels and nerves. When the bacteria get into the pulp, it causes inflammation and pus, which causes pressure to build up, which is why you feel throbbing pain.

All the dentists in Pakistan state that even if the abscess is drained, and you get relief, it is only temporary and you will have the pain anytime sooner because the infection is still there and need treatment.

What is the Treatment of an Abscessed Tooth?

Dentist will perform a physical examination of the tooth to understand the condition. After that, he will suggest having an X-ray of the bone surrounding the affected tooth to check for bone loss to verify you have an abscess tooth or not.

After verification, he can suggest one of the following treatments:

Root Canal: Root canal treatment can save your tooth and your dentist will definitely try to go for this option. Your tooth will be cleaned and disinfected and then your dentist will seal the tooth pulp and cap the tooth with a crown.

Extraction: If it will not be possible to restore the tooth, no dentist in Pakistan will suggest root canal. In that case, tooth extraction will be performed.

If you suspect a tooth abscess – you must seek help from a validated dentist immediately. The sooner you get things checked, the better you can get treatment.