Immediate Treatment For DENTAL ABSCESS

A dental abscess can develop from bacteria entering the tooth through a crack or cavity and is one of those dental conditions that causes a lot of discomfort. As the bacteria multiply, pus forms. A dental abscess may appear as a small, red bump pushing out from swollen gums. 

It is not uncommon for an abscess to appear on your gums as a pimple-like bump. When you press on your tooth and liquid (pus) oozes out, you likely have an abscessed tooth. Usually, they are accompanied by swelling of the gums or face and fever. You might also experience bleeding gums, tooth discolouration, and loose teeth.

An abscessed tooth is characterised by the following symptoms:

• There is a constant throbbing pain in your mouth.
• You are experiencing excruciating pain in the tooth when biting or chewing.
• Your teeth have become extremely sensitive to cold and hot foods and beverages.
• You have bad breath, and there is a foul taste in your mouth because of the pus discharge.
• You are suffering from tooth pain that is spreading to your jaw, neck, or ear.
• You have a fever.

There is no doubt that a dental abscess is an emergency. Due to the difficulty of predicting the spread of dental infections, any tooth abscess should be treated as an emergency. Please seek urgent dental care if you notice any swelling around your gums, regardless of whether it causes pain or not. 

If you have any signs or symptoms that indicate a dental abscess, please consult your dentist immediately. Your dentist can administer emergency treatment to contain the infection. If left untreated, abscesses can lead to an infection that spreads throughout the body, posing serious and even life-threatening problems. Early treatment is critical.

Dental abscesses won’t disappear on their own without treatment. It is possible for an abscess to rupture on its own, and you will feel almost immediate pain relief. You may also experience a sudden nasty taste in your mouth as the pus drains out. However, dental treatment is still necessary. If an abscess doesn’t drain completely, it may spread to your jaw and other parts of your head and neck. 

If you have an abscessed tooth, it is vital to see a dentist. It is still recommended to have the area examined by your dentist, even if it has already ruptured, to make sure the infection does not spread to other parts of the body. There is even a possibility that you might develop sepsis, which has the potential to be life-threatening if left untreated. When you have a weak immune system and leave a tooth abscess untreated, there is a greater chance that the infection will spread to other parts of your body.

A dental abscess will not disappear on its own without dental treatment. The pain may decrease significantly if the abscess ruptures, but you still need dental treatment. If left untreated, an abscess in the tooth could cause dangerous complications, including an increase in the levels of infection that could spread throughout the body very quickly. 

In severe cases, it can even result in sepsis, a potentially fatal infection that spreads throughout your body. Patients with a weakened immune system are also at greater risk of spreading infection as a result of an untreated tooth abscess.

Unless an infected tooth is treated, the infection could spread elsewhere in your body, which could have potentially fatal consequences. There are a number of symptoms that could indicate that a tooth infection has spread to another part of your body:

• You are experiencing headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
• You are suffering from a fever that is accompanied by a burning sensation on your skin, sweating, and chills.
• There is swelling in the face that makes it difficult to breathe, swallow, and open your mouth fully.
• You become dehydrated, your urine becomes darker, and your frequency of urination decreases.
• When your heart rate and pulse rate increase, which causes you to feel light-headed.
• You are experiencing stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Dentists will commonly prescribe antibiotics only when a patient is suffering from an infection of the teeth. However, not all infected teeth require antibiotics. You may not need to take antibiotics if the infection is limited to the abscess area. For example, your dentist may simply drain the inflamed area, remove the inflamed tooth, or perform a root canal. 

If, however, the infection has spread to nearby teeth, your jaw or other areas, your dentist will probably prescribe antibiotics to prevent the infection from spreading. If your immune system is weakened, they may prescribe antibiotics as well.

Depending on the type and severity of the infection, your dentist will perform one of the following treatments:

• Antibiotic therapy:
  If the infection has spread beyond the abscess area or your immune system is weak, your dentist may prescribe oral antibiotics. However, antibiotic therapy alone without surgical drainage of an abscess rarely works.
  
  
• Draining the abscess:
  The most effective treatment for a tooth abscess or infection is to drain the infection. Draining a dental abscess requires different drainage procedures depending on the type of abscess you have. Your dentist may release some pus by applying gentle pressure to the affected area. Using a tiny probe, your dentist will remove any remaining contaminated debris inside the abscess after the fluid is drained. Another option is to drain the pus through a small abscess incision made by your dentist. Additionally, your dentist may debride the infection and irrigate or wash it with saline. “Debridement” refers to the removal of necrotic or dead tissue that cannot be healed.
  
  
• Root canal therapy:
  Treatment of periapical abscesses is often accomplished by root canal therapy. In a root canal, an abscess is drained, and infected pulp is removed from a tooth. This is followed by the filling of the pulp chamber and sealing of the canal. Your dentist may also recommend a crown to protect your tooth. Crowns are typically placed during a second visit.
  
  
• Foreign material extraction:
  If your dentist finds that an abscess has developed due to a foreign object in your gums, this object will be removed. This may include the kernel of popcorn, a splinter from a toothpick, or even the bristle of a toothbrush. After that, the area will be washed with a saline solution.
  
  
• Tooth extraction:
  If an abscessed tooth cannot be saved, it may need to be extracted. The procedure is performed under local anaesthesia. After your dentist extracts the affected tooth, the socket will be covered with sterile gauze. It may be necessary to stitch the wound. Once the extraction site has healed, you can get an artificial tooth replacement.