Things to Do When You Have an Abscessed Tooth
Tooth abscess is one of the worst pains which remain consistent. It takes away a lot of privileges from a person’s life such as eating and even thinking. The matter of fact is that calling abscessed tooth as painful can be nothing more than an understatement. If it is left untreated, this ‘pain’ can turn out to the worst pain of your life.
Good news is that tooth abscess can be treated quickly and effectively in most of the cases; and it is going to cause a lot less pain. As a matter of fact, going to the dentist can be the only painful part in treating the abscessed tooth. But, you need to keep in mind that getting the abscessed tooth treated by the dentist is your only link to get rid of the severe pain.
What is an abscessed tooth?
The tooth abscess is an infection in the tooth which can hit you suddenly without giving you the chance to think about avoiding the pain. But the fact is that the pain due to tooth abscess is caused only when tooth abscess gets worsened over the period of a few years.
How to know if there is a tooth abscess?
You may be wondering if the pain your feel is due to the tooth abscess. In case of tooth abscess, you will find no apparent reason for the pain. But the pain is too severe that you will certainly say that something is very wrong here.
The pain can vary. The pain intensity can range from being annoying to being intolerable. There are other factors which can accompany this pain.
- Increased sensitivity to cold and hot foods
- Swollen jaws
- Fever
- Bad breath
- Bitter taste
- Sore on the gum
- Painful biting and chewing
- Pain reaching the bones surrounding the tooth
Things that cause tooth abscess
Damaged integrity of the tooth is very common reason for tooth abscess. Now, there are two factors to be mentioned. The first one is the tooth decay. Tooth decays makes way for the germs to enter into the inner tooth and cause infection.
The second reason can be the trauma. Any physical injury to the tooth can eventually lead to this severe condition if injury is not treated.
Treating the tooth abscess
The treatment usually starts with a detailed analysis done by the dentist. This analysis usually includes x-rays and other methods. With the help of this analysis, the dentist may decide about the type of treatment required.
The potential treatments involve root canal and tooth extraction. Root canal is the restoration treatment which involves cleaning and disinfecting of the tooth and the root. After cleaning and disinfecting, the tooth is than sealed.
Tooth extraction is straightforward. When the pain is so severe and there is no other option left for restoration, the dentist may decide to pull the tooth and clean the root’s place.