When it comes to your oral health, there are a lot of dental topics you should familiarize yourself with. This way, you will be aware of things that you can do to prevent certain issues and you will know how to spot some issues which will help you seek treatment sooner. One of the dental issues that you should educate yourself on are dental abscesses. Here is everything that you should understand about abscessed teeth and gums:

The causes of a tooth abscess

You can get an abscess in your gum if an infection sets in within the space that's between your gum and your tooth. Food getting caught in the area between where your gum and tooth meets can cause this. Also, if you already have periodontal disease, then you will be at an increased risk of gum disease. You can get a tooth abscess in a damaged tooth that has an injured or dead nerve. Once the infection is in the root of the tooth, it can easily spread to the surrounding tissues and even the bone.

The signs and symptoms of an abscessed tooth

The signs and symptoms of an abscess in your gum or tooth includes:

  • An area of brightness on the gums
  • Enlargement in parts of the gums
  • Pain that ranges from mild in the beginning to severe as time goes on
  • Bad breath no matter how much you brush, floss and rinse
  • A bad taste in the mouth that also can't be removed with brushing, flossing and rinsing
  • A fever
  • An over all feeling of general illness once the infection spreads
  • Extreme tooth sensitivity when you drink and eat
  • Pain in the area of the face near the affected tooth
  • Swelling of the face near the affected tooth

Preventing an abscess

The best way to prevent a dental abscess from occurring is to make sure you stay on top of your dental health. You want to go to all your dental appointments and make sure you follow good dental habits each and every day. If you have a problem tooth, then you don't want to put off having it fixed.

How to treat an abscess

If you have an abscess, then you want to get in to the dentist right away. You will need to get started on antibiotics to take away the infection and prevent it from spreading and making you extremely ill. If the abscess is severe enough, the dentist may also want to drain it to physically remove as much of the puss and infection as possible. They will also want to clean the area and want you to continue keeping your mouth as clean as possible.

Reach out to a business like Advara Dental & Dentures for more information.

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