Symptoms and Treatment of Abscessed Teeth

Posted on: 12 February 2015

If you have an abscessed tooth, you won't need to see a dentist to know it. The pain and swelling will be a sure sign. But, you will need to see a dentist to have the problem treated. You may even need to see a cosmetic dentist to have the tooth capped once the infection is gone. An abscess is an infection that is extremely painful, and that starts at the tooth's root or between the tooth and the gum. One of the main causes of an abscessed tooth is decay, which means that you will at the very least need to have a filling put in. Other things that can cause an abscess include trauma (broken tooth) and gum disease. Here you will learn about the symptoms of abscessed teeth and how this problem is treated.

Symptoms

There are several symptoms that will alert you to the fact that you have an abscessed tooth. If you experience a lot of toothaches, chances are that there is an abscess, and over time the toothaches are going to get worse until the infection is treated. You may have extreme sensitivity to hot and cold. Your breath may have a foul smell, and you may have swollen neck glands. As the infection gets worse, the symptoms are going to get worse, and eventually there will be extreme pain that can travel down to the neck, shoulders, and arms, and a lot of swelling in the affected area. If the symptoms go away, don't be fooled into thinking that the abscess has also gone away. It is simply dormant, waiting to flare up again.

Diagnosis

While it may be pretty obvious that you have an abscessed tooth, you won't know for sure until you have a proper diagnosis from your dentist. The dentist will use an instrument to probe the teeth, and if there is an abscess, the second the instrument touches the area, you will experience pain. The dentist may want to take an X-ray to see the extent of damage to the tooth, and they may then recommend that you see a cosmetic dentist for further treatment once the infection has been taken care of.

Treatment

There are several ways that a dentist will treat an abscessed tooth. The first step will likely be to prescribe antibiotics to get rid of the infection. The abscess may also need to be drained. A cosmetic dentist will perform a root canal to drain the infection. Then, the tooth may be extracted. If it is possible to save the tooth, the cosmetic dentist may fit a crown over the tooth to restore it.

For more information, contact a business such as Prime Dental Pty Ltd.

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