Guide to Dental Abscess

A dental abscess is a collection of pus that forms inside the teeth, gums, or the bone that holds the teeth in place. It usually results from dental or gum bacteria inflections. There are mainly two types of dental abscesses: Periodontal abscess and periapical abscess.
– Periodontal abscess: It’s a result of an infection in the space between the tooth and gum. Food and debris get caught between the gum and tooth, causing the infection. Severe periodontal disease occurs when bacteria build up in the bone under the gums.
– Periapical abscess: This occurs when a tooth’s nerve is dead or dying, and it shows at the tip of the tooth’s root. It then spreads to the surrounding bone.

Signs of dental abscess:
– Pain on percussion. In periodontal abscess, there is pain on horizontal percussion while in periapical abscess, there is pain on vertical percussion. And the pain may spread to your ear, jaw, and neck on the same side as the affected parts.
– Redness. There can be redness or erythema in the root area of the tooth.
– Swelling. There will be swelling in the area of the associated tooth.
– Bad breath. With an abscess, you may complain of bad breath from the mouth.
If you have these symptoms, it’s important to get help from your dentist, because abscesses will not go away on their own. What’s more, it may develop into fever without treatment timely.

Treatment options for dental abscess:
The treatments are varying from the location of the abscess. The objective is to remove and repair the damage caused by bacterial inflection.
Root canal therapy. To drain the infected nerve and pus from within the tooth.
Extract. Exact the affected tooth along with the inflection.
Incision and drainage. Deep clean below the gum line around affected areas to remove and drain the pus.
Antibiotics. This is not suggested unless you have a compromised immune system.

Guides to prevent dental abscess:
– Brush your teeth for two minutes at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste.
– Use dental floss or a water flosser to clean between your teeth daily.
– Replace your toothbrush every 3 months, or whenever the bristles are frayed.
– Eat healthy food, limiting sugary items and between-meal snacks.
– Visit your dentist regularly for checkups and professional cleanings.
– Consider using an antiseptic or a fluoride mouth rinse to add an extra layer of protection against tooth decay.