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| A toothache |
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| Dental fistula/abscess |
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| Periapical Abscess |
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Ow! My Tooth is Killing Me!
You go home in the middle of the day with a severe toothache. “Just a pesky
toothache; it will go away,” you moan. Hopefully, that happens, but in
all likelihood, it won’t. Tooth pain a sign that something is drastically
wrong in your mouth, but you may not know what is causing the pain. Tooth
pain can be caused by many factors, including
- Abscessed tooth
- Cracked tooth
- Chipped tooth
- Cavity
- Gum disease
- Food stuck between teeth
- Grinding teeth together
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- Clenching teeth together
- Chronic periodontitis
- Jaw conditions such as TMD (TMJ)
- Sinus infection
- Angina (heart pain)
- Migraine headache
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Ignoring that pain in your tooth can be dangerous to your health. If you have an abscessed tooth, and you leave it untreated, the infection can spread to your neck and head—and cause you to die.
Obsessed with abscessed
An abscessed tooth is caused by bacteria that invade the soft tissue surrounding your tooth or at the root of your tooth. The abscess is attempting to isolate the infection and build a fence around the infection so that it can’t spread to other areas of your body. The ball of pus that forms contains dead and live bacteria, white blood cells that are trying to stop the infection, and liquefied dead tissue. One of the major causes of an abscess is an untreated cavity. The cavity opens the door to give bacteria an opportunity to attack the nerves and blood vessels (pulp) inside the tooth.
If the affected nerve is not treated, the bone around the tooth can be destroyed. If the root of the tooth dies, the toothache may stop, but that does not mean that the infection has gone away. The infection continues to spread and destroy tissue.
How to recognize an abscessed tooth
There are several telltale symptoms of an abscessed tooth:
- A gnawing or throbbing pain in the tooth
- A sharp or shooting pain in the tooth
- Chewing causes pain
- Tooth is sensitive to hot or cold fluids or food
- Fever
- A bitter taste in the mouth
- Bad breath
- Red and swollen gums
- Swollen area of the upper or lower jaw
- Swollen glands in the neck
- Open draining sore on the side of the gum
Early treatment can rescue your tooth and you
In its early stage, an abscessed tooth can be successfully treated with antibiotics, warm salt-water rinses and over-the-counter pain relievers. However, if the infection has damaged the tooth’s pulp, a root canal may need to be done and a crown placed over the tooth. The abscess may need to be surgically drained. Extracting the tooth may be necessary as well. X-rays can help determine the extent of the infection’s damage to surrounding bone.
If you experience the symptoms listed above, contact your dentist immediately.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
The best way to reduce the risk of having an abscessed tooth is practicing good oral health care.
Besides being alert to the symptoms of an abscessed tooth, do this also:
- Brush and floss your teeth—regularly.
- If you have a trauma that loosens, chips or fractures a tooth—seek help immediately.
- Get dental checkups twice each year.
Remember this pearl of wisdom for your teeth:
Take good care of your teeth, and your teeth
will take good care of you!
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