A dental abscess is a collection of pus around the tooth or in the jaw that will usually tend to grow and get bigger. It can get very uncomfortable because of the pressure, and it should be seen by a dentist as soon as possible.
Pus is made up of dead white blood cells, dead tissue and bacteria. Excess bacteria is the usual cause of an abscess to occur, as the body walls off the infection to keep it localized.
Symptoms will begin as a dull ache in the tooth area, and it can quickly become worse with more pain and throbbing. The face and jaw can swell, and be very tender. The skin that is over the abscess will become red and very tender, and the tooth may be very painful to the touch, and might even become loose. There can be a high fever that accompanies the abscess and possible spasms of the jaw muscles.
If the abscess should break internally, the infection can spread rapidly and it can be dangerous, as it can spread to the brain which can cause serious illness, or even death.
The dentist will drain the pus from the abscess by either lancing the abscess, or drilling a hole in the tooth to let the pus escape. Once the pus is drained, usually an antibiotic is prescribed to kill and infection that might be left.
It is possible that the tooth might have to be extracted if the abscess was large enough, or a root canal may have to be performed to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Pain killer medication is also usually prescribed.
It is never a good idea to wait and “ride it out” as the infection will usually persist. Even if an antibiotic is given, the pus still has to be cleared out so it will not reoccur.
If you have a dental abscess in Albuquerque give our emergency dental office a call immediately!