Dental Abscess Stage 3 Tooth Pulp Infection
After the bacteria has eaten through the dentin, its free to enter the inner tooth pulp. When this happens, it can play havoc with the nerves of the tooth, causing them to die. Once this starts to occur, the bodys immune system begins to attack the infection. As such, pus is formed around the dying roots causing the abscess.
The Stages Of A Tooth Abscess
A tooth abscess starts local to the tooth and surrounding gum area. The abscess may rupture but you will still need to see your dentist for treatment.
The abscess could spread to the jaw and surrounding areas of your head and neck. You may have a swollen face, or your eye may swell shut. If left untreated, you may even develop sepsis a life-threatening infection that spreads throughout your whole body.
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Periodontal Abscesses: Affecting The Gums
Periodontal abscesses are more common among adults than children and are often a complication of gum disease. They tend to originate in the alveolar bone and periodontium. Gum disease or injury can cause teeth to become loose and/or inflamed, including the surrounding area. The resulting pocket that forms between the tissue and the tooth is vulnerable to infection by bacteria which can then form a periodontal abscess.
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Rinse Your Mouth With Baking Soda
Baking soda can help remove and fight plaque in your mouth. Its a common household item that most people have in the cupboard. Mixing baking soda and water and rinsing for five minutes twice a day is a good way to fight an abscess at home.
Baking soda increases the PH in your mouth. Lots of bacteria thrive in acidic conditions. When the PH of your mouth increases, it becomes a more alkaline environment, and these bacteria can not multiply as easily. Essentially, lots of oral problems are caused by an imbalance of acid and baking soda balances the acidity levels.
You can also make a paste using baking soda and water to apply directly to your gums.
Biofilms like plaque are colonies of bacteria that attach to the surface of your teeth and gums, causing oral problems. Grains of baking soda can disrupt the biofilms, reducing the bacteria on your teeth and the damage they cause.
Signs That A Tooth Infection Is Spreading
A tooth infection is no fun at all, and without proper treatment, it can spread to other parts of your body. This can lead to serious complications, and may be life threatening. Your mouth is full of bacteria from food that you eat, and from saliva and plaque. This bacteria can enter into your tooth and result in a tooth abscess. The tooth abscess is a pocket of pus that forms inside your tooth or gums. The good news is that tooth infections or tooth abscess are easily treatable. Just as long as you do not delay treatment. Read further as we discuss signs that a tooth infection is spreading, and the complications that may arise if you do not get prompt dental attention.
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When To Worry About A Tooth Infection
If you suspect you have a dental abscess, dont wait until it ruptures to seek treatment. Dental infections should be treated promptly to prevent the spread of the infection.
Common symptoms of a dental infection that requires urgent dental care include:
- Noticeable sore under the gums
- Swelling and inflammation near the affected tooth
- Bad taste in the mouth
- Loose tooth
- A severe, throbbing toothache that doesnt go away
- Swollen and painful lymph nodes in the neck
- Pain when chewing or biting down
Summary
Tooth abscesses are dental emergencies. They need to be drained by a professional quickly to prevent spreading. A noticeable sore and severe, throbbing pain are the most common symptoms.
How Long Can a Tooth Infection Go Untreated?
If you wait too long to treat a tooth infection, it can begin spreading to other areas of your body, including the neck, head, or jaw. A general dentist must professionally drain an abscessed tooth by extracting it or performing a root canal.
Usually, this includes draining pus and bacteria, which is why some people are actually unaware they have an infection. It is unpredictable to determine how long a dental abscess will drain until it stops and causes facial cellulitis .
You should never pop or squeeze an abscess because the infection can be pushed deeper into the tissues of your mouth.
Risks of not treating a tooth infection promptly:
Summary
What Risk Factors Can Lead To Complications From An Abscess
There are several risk factors that can increase your chances of having complications from a dental abscess, including:
- older age
- It can potentially take several months for a dental abscess to develop.
- Once an abscess has formed, noticeable pain and swelling around the affected tooth usually occur.
- If left untreated, it may take a few more weeks or months for the infection to spread to other tissues and cause complications. However, once this has happened, death can occur quickly.
- Factors like older age, having diabetes, or being immunocompromised can increase your risk of complications from a dental abscess.
Overall, these facts underline the importance of seeking prompt medical care if youre experiencing persistent pain or swelling around a tooth. When treated early, most tooth infections can be resolved without serious complications.
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Dehydration And Stomach Pain
You may notice that you don’t have to pee very much. And when you do, your urine is a darker color than normal. This means that you’re getting dehydrated and moving into the second stage of sepsis.
You may also begin to experience stomach pain and even diarrhea and vomiting. Both of these symptoms will speed your rate of dehydration and cause even more severe problems.
What Are The Most Common Symptoms Of A Tooth Infection
If youve never had an infected tooth before, you might be wondering how youd know if your tooth was infected. Pain is often the most common sign of a tooth infection. Unfortunately, this pain isnt always confined to the tooth itself. Because our teeth are connected to so many nerves, pain from an infected tooth can extend into the jaw, face, and neck. Talk about discomfort!
Other signs to look for include:
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Tooth sensitivity to heat, cold, and/or pressure
-
Tenderness around the tooth
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Swelling of the mouth, jaw, or face
If you have a dental abscess that bursts open on its own, you might taste a strong, salty fluid that could also smell bad.
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What Symptoms Should You Look Out For
Depending on the location of your abscessed tooth, how your body responds, and whether your tooth is still alive or not, patients usually experience a large spectrum of symptoms. The most common one is a severe throbbing pain near the gums of the affected tooth. It can be so intense that it wakes you up at night. Typically, the pain suddenly occurs, and it only gets worse with time. Some other signs that you have an infected tooth include:
- Pain that spreads to your ear, jaw, and neck.
- Pain that increases when youre laying down.
- Pain while you bite or chew.
- Redness and swelling.
The West Ryde Dental Clinic Advantage
At West Ryde Dental Clinic, our service and our dentures are 100% personalized for you. All our dentists are highly motivated and accredited practitioners with graduate degrees from the University of Sydney. As well as the dentists, the supporting staff at West Ryde Dental Clinic are highly dedicated and experienced to ensure each visit with us is comfortable as possible.
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Implant Therapy Versus Endodontic Therapy
Research comparing endodontic therapy with implant therapy is considerable, both as an initial treatment and in retreatment for failed initial endodontic approaches. Endodontic therapy allows avoidance of disruption of the periodontal fiber, which helps with proprioception for occlusal feedback, a reflex important in preventing patients from chewing improperly and damaging the temporomandibular joint. In a comparison of initial nonsurgical endodontic treatment and single-tooth implants, both were found to have similar success rates. While the procedures are similar in terms of pain and discomfort, a notable difference is that patients who have implants have reported “the worst pain of their life” during the extraction, with the implantation itself being relatively painless. The worst pain of endodontic therapy was reported with the initial anesthetic injection. Some patients receiving implants also describe a dull nagging pain after the procedure, while those with endodontic therapy describe “sensation” or “sensitivity” in the area. Other studies have found that endodontic therapy patients report the maximum pain the day following treatment, while extraction and implantation patients reported maximum pain the end of the week after the operation.
What Is A Tooth Abscess
First of all, let’s talk about what a tooth abscess is. Simply put, it is a pocket of pus in your tooth. Though it can occur anywhere in your tooth, it is common to see it at the tip of the tooth’s root.
The following symptoms are indicators that you have an abscess.
- A nagging toothache
- Sudden, extreme sensitivity to hot or cold
- Sensitivity while chewing and biting
- Facial swelling
- A pocket of pus on your gum line near the affected tooth
- Swollen lymph nodes under your jaw
With proper treatment, a tooth abscess doesn’t normally get too severe. Your dentist will simply drain the infection. To save the tooth, you may need a root canal. It’s not the most fun way to spend an afternoon, but it’s a relatively simple fix.
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What Happens If I Dont See The Dentist And My Tooth Is Infected
If left untreated, the body will try to fight the infection through your immune system response. This means you may experience a raised temperature or high fever, swelling to the affected area and a reddening of the gums.
You can experience these signs without actually feeling any pain or toothache. You may even notice an unpleasant taste in your mouth or you develop bad breath, despite brushing your teeth regularly.
If you know that you have a chipped, cracked or broken tooth, infections can set in and go undetected for quite a while deep within your tooth without you realising it. Some people have been surprised to discover that they are carrying a tooth infection after their dentist detected it during their regular dental check-up.
This is why it is so important to look out for symptoms other than a painful toothache that could indicate an infection is present. Even a minor cavity can progress to a tooth infection rapidly if left unchecked.
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How Can Toothaches Be Prevented
Since most toothaches are the result of tooth decay, these good oral hygiene practices can prevent toothaches:
- Brushing regularly with a fluoride toothpaste
- Flossing at least once a day
- Seeing your dentist twice a year for professional cleaning
In addition to these practices, eat foods low in sugar and ask your dentist about sealants and fluoride applications.
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Can Toothache Go Away On Its Own
The short answer is yes. In some situations toothache or tooth sensitivity can come and go. If this happens its probably a reversible inflammatory response by your tooth. Your relief may be short lived though. Only after a dentist has made a proper diagnosis about the cause of your pain can you potentially avoid further damage and find a permanent pain solution. To get the right treatment you really do need a professional assessment and diagnosis by a dentist.
Ways To Cure A Toothache
Toothaches are no joke. It is possible for the bacterial infection that causes toothaches to enter the bloodstream and spread to other places in the body. So, before we get going on methods of naturally relieving a toothache, here are a few signs that your aching tooth is at the point where you should see a dentist ASAP:
- A toothache lasts longer than a couple of days
- Pain associated with the toothache is intense, not diminishing, or both.
- Experiencing a fever and/or an earache, and/or pain when opening the mouth
- A cracked tooth or fracture is causing the toothache
- A toothache is accompanied by other severe symptoms, including swelling of the neck or mouth, or difficulty breathing, speaking, or swallowing
The good news is that most toothaches are quite harmless and easily rectifiable. Its safe to say that many of us have had to deal with an aching tooth at some point.
Predictably, the leading cause of a toothache is poor oral care. Given the relatively cheap options available to help us keep our teeth clean including toothbrushes, pastes, and floss everyone should be making oral health a priority. Proper home oral care, per the American Dental Association , consists of:
- Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste
- Cleaning between the teeth every day with dental floss
- Limiting the consumption of sugary foods and drinks
- Visiting the dentist once per year for cleaning and consultation
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What Causes Dental Abscesses
Your mouth is full of bacteria, which form a sticky film on your teeth called plaque.
If you do not keep your teeth clean, acids produced by the bacteria in plaque can damage your teeth and gums, leading to tooth decay or gum disease.
The following can increase your chances of developing a dental abscess:
- poor oral hygiene plaque can build-up on your teeth if you do not floss and brush your teeth regularly
- consuming lots of sugary or starchy food and drink these can encourage the growth of bacteria in plaque and may lead to decay that can result in an abscess
- an injury or previous surgery to your teeth or gums bacteria can get into any damaged parts of the teeth or gums
- having a weakened immune system this includes people with certain underlying health conditions, such as diabetes, and those having treatment, including steroid medication or chemotherapy
When To Seek Emergency Treatment For Dental Abscesses
Ideally, a person affected by a dental abscess, or who suspects that they may have a dental abscess, should visit the dentist as soon as possible. Because it is not always possible to see a dentist in time, some people may need to be treated for their abscesses in a hospital emergency department. Medical doctors are not specifically trained to handle dental issues, but will be able to stabilize the affected person, providing antibiotics and pain relief, until they can see the dentist.
Good to know: Dentists do not form part of the regular staff in most hospital emergency departments. Treatment by a doctor at a hospital will not replace seeing a dentist. Doctors are not trained to deal with dental problems but will be able to assist with managing infection and pain.
If a person with an abscess or a suspected abscess shows any of the signs listed below, they should seek urgent medical care as soon as possible. Danger signs for tooth abscesses include:
- An abscess of more than 1cm in diameter, or which feels large
- Severe swelling or hard lumps on the gums or the face
- Bleeding on the gums or in the mouth
- Fever or a body temperature of more than 38 C / 101.4 F
- Tender lymph nodes in the neck area
If a person shows the symptoms listed below, they should immediately be seen by a hospital emergency department:
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What Do I Do Now
The first thing to do is get professional help. An abscess wont go away without treatment. During the practices opening hours, your dentist should be able to fit you in for an emergency appointment the same day, but call early as the spaces soon fill up. Practices usually have special arrangements too for patients who need treatment out of hours. If you subscribe to a monthly payment plan with your dental practice, that usually covers emergency call-out charges too. Even out of hours, its a good idea to call your own practice, as the answer phone will offer helpful information. Remember if you have swelling that is continuing to increase and threatens your breathing, treat it as a dental emergency. Because an abscess is a bacterial infection, its important to get it seen as soon as possible so that treatment can begin. Dont be tempted to delay, take a few pain-killers, and hope itll go away.
Tooth Abscess Stages Why They Occur And How They Can Be Treated
Anyone who has ever experienced a severe dental abscess will know that it can be excruciatingly painful but it isnt always this way. You may be surprised to know that there are, in fact, a series of tooth abscess stages with some stages typically being less painful than others.
In this post, were going to take a closer look at the stages of an abscessed tooth, why they occur, and most importantly, how they can be treated.
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What Will The Dentist Do For My Infected Tooth
The dentist will likely prescribe antibiotics to clear the infection. They may also recommend a root canal to remove the infected tissue. In some cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the infected tooth.
Tooth infections can be severe and cause permanent damage if left untreated. If you think you have a tooth infection, see a dentist or doctor. Treatment for a tooth infection usually includes antibiotics and pain relievers. In some cases, surgery may be necessary.