abscessed tooth

A tooth abscess is an infection of the mouth, upper or lower jaw, face or neck that results from a tooth infection or caries.

If caries is neglected (not treated), it reaches the tooth pulp (dental pulp).
The nerve and blood vessel in the center of the tooth become infected and die.

The bacteria spread beyond the tooth and form an abscess.
This can also happen with children’s milk teeth or a reconstructed or crowned tooth that has undergone root canal treatment.
A tooth abscess is not contagious.
It can affect any tooth: canines, incisors, pre-teeth (premolars) and molars (molars).

Types of tooth abscesses

On "periapical abscess“Has its origin in tooth pulp. It occurs mainly in children.
On "periodontal abscess“Arises in the bone and in the tooth tissue. It is particularly common in adults.

Causes of a tooth abscess

The main cause is the complication of caries.
It can also be due to trauma to the tooth that causes a fracture (the tooth breaks) through which bacteria can enter.

risk factors for a tooth abscess are:

poor oral hygiene,
wrong dental treatment.

Symptoms of a tooth abscess

The main symptoms of a tooth abscess are toothache, which is often described as stinging, strong and throbbing.
Other symptoms of a tooth abscess include a nodule on the gum that feels like a pimple on the side of the cheek or tongue.

Pain when chewing.
Bad taste in the mouth.
The teeth are sensitive to hot or cold food.
The upper or lower jaw swell.
Redness and swelling of the gums.
The feeling that the tooth comes out of its cavity and the teeth can no longer be closed properly.
fever.
Enlarged cervical lymph nodes.
Pus or yellowish blood that comes out of the swollen area.

The symptoms of an abscess on the wisdom tooth are identical to symptoms of other tooth abscesses. They occur primarily with wisdom teeth, the breakthrough of which has only partially occurred.

As the infection progresses, the person may also experience systemic symptoms such as fever, chills, nausea, and insomnia.

Possible complications

If symptoms of a tooth abscess are ignored, an untreated abscess can worsen and cause complications.
With timely and effective treatment, the infection can be easily cured and the tooth preserved.

Possible complications with a tooth abscess are:

Loss of the affected tooth,
Infection that spreads to the jawbone,
Sepsis (blood poisoning) or septicemia (can lead to death).

Diagnosis of a tooth abscess

If the pain increases when you press the tooth or chew, a suspected tooth abscess is suspected.
A dentist does an exam to see if the tooth can be drained.

If you see a dentist with severe toothache, he will do a dental exam where he gently taps the tooth.
Then he takes an X-ray to determine the severity of the infection.

What should I do? Treatment for tooth abscess

The first treatment step is to eliminate the infection using oral drugs.
Antibiotics are prescribed to destroy the bacteria that cause the infection.
The doctor can also prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories that relieve pain and gum inflammation.
If pain and inflammation subside, antibiotic treatment should not be interrupted.
The dosage of the antibiotics must be continued according to the doctor’s instructions, even if the signs of the infection decrease.

The dentist can choose other methods to treat a tooth abscess.
One of these procedures is the drainage of the pus that has accumulated in the tooth with the abscess.
To do this, he cuts the abscess so that the pus can emerge.
An abscess that forms on the tooth root can impair the stability of the tooth and must be cured with a root canal treatment.
The main goal of this treatment is to remove the infected pulp and reconstruct the tooth.
With this treatment, the dentist uses the drill to make small holes on the inside of the infected tooth and remove the dead tissue from the tooth pulp.
Then he cleans and seals the pulp chamber and the root canals.
Finally, he covers the tooth with a porcelain or gold crown.
In this way, the reconstructed tooth can be preserved for a lifetime.

If the infection is severe, the doctor must pull the tooth and remove the pus.
The tooth is lost.

amoxicillin
Amoxicillin (Augmentan) is used to treat and prevent infections caused by bacteria.
It doesn’t kill the bacteria, but prevents their multiplication by destroying their cell walls.
It is available in the form of tablets, juice or suspension.

possible side effects

diarrhea
Vomit
itching
stomach pain

Amoxicillin can also be taken during pregnancy.
Pregnant women should speak to their doctor before taking any medication that could harm the child; No preliminary studies have shown any damage to this drug.

penicillin
Penicillin is successfully used to treat tooth abscesses. However, there is a possibility that the bacterial enzymes in the tooth destroy the penicillin before it can take effect.
To address this problem, penicillin is sometimes used in combination with beta-lactamase inhibitors to protect the penicillin.
Penicillin hinder the build-up of the bacterial walls and thus destroy the microbes.

metronidazole
This medication is used to treat infections caused by sensitive bacteria, such as anaerobic bacteria. It blocks some of the functions of the bacteria that cause the infection within the cells, resulting in the death of the bacteria.
It is available in the form of tablets, capsules and infusions.

possible side effects

nausea
loss of appetite
a headache

How to treat a tooth abscess at home

In truth, home remedies don’t really solve the problem with a tooth abscess.
Nevertheless, you can treat the symptoms temporarily until you get an appointment with the dentist.
Some options for treating a dental abscess at home are:

ice: Cold packs can stop inflammation and prevent swelling from getting worse, but have no effect on the infection.
Some patients asked me if heat or cold was better. In this case, cold can temporarily relieve inflammation and pain, but is not a cure.
When infected, the body reacts with an increase in temperature (fever). Therefore, you should not use the cold all day long, as this hinders the body’s defense.

salt water: This is an old therapy for tooth abscesses.
Add half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate and the juice of a squeezed lemon to a glass of lukewarm water and gargle with this solution 2 or 3 times a day.
This is an antiseptic solution that kills the bacteria in the mouth and keeps the infection under control.
If the tooth breaks with the abscess, this salt water therapy should be continued as it ensures faster tissue healing.

What is the forecast?

If an abscess is not treated, it is dangerous and can even lead to death.
Antibiotics and dentist intervention remove bacteria and pus and the patient can recover.

Tooth abscess after pulling the wisdom tooth

After pulling a wisdom tooth, an abscess is a rather rare complication. You can completely avoid this possibility by following the doctor’s instructions for treatment and taking some precautions.

The wisdom teeth are molars, which usually appear after the 16th and before the 25th year of life. Most people have 4 wisdom teeth, two in the upper and two in the lower jaw.
However, there have also been cases where people have fewer than 4 or even no wisdom teeth.
Since a wisdom tooth appears later than the other teeth, it can be blocked by the adjacent teeth. Then one speaks of an overgrown wisdom tooth.

The consequences can be:

callousness
Pain
facial swelling
Injuries to neighboring teeth and roots
Caries
Emergence of cysts

To avoid all of these complications, dentists and oral surgeons often recommend extraction.

Recommendations for avoiding a tooth abscess after pulling the wisdom tooth

Here are some recommendations that can help prevent tooth abscess:

Consistently complete the prescribed antibiotic cycle.
Rinse mouth with lukewarm salt water or mouthwash (if prescribed by the dentist) every two hours and after eating.
Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol for at least a month after the operation.
Perform proper oral care; Brush your teeth twice a day until there is no food left between the teeth.

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