An abscessed tooth has a small ball of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue. Pus is liquified dead tissue, white blood cells, dead and live bacteria.The pus that comes out is usually a pale yellow creamy consistency. Patients often have dental pain from the pressure of the growing ball. It's nothing to fool around with. See a dentist immediately. In the years before WW II and the discovery of penicillin, it was common for patients to die from dental infections. Today, super bacteria exist that are not killed by normal antibiotics. It's extremely important to treat as soon as it begins because a smaller abscess is easier to treat than a larger one .
The most common cause of an abscessed tooth is a dead tooth. Foreign bacteria attack the dead tissues in the tooth and the living tissues around the tooth. A battle between the body and invading bacterial develops and special white blood cells attack the area. The brain is only a few inches away from the teeth. The dental infection can spread to the inside of the brain and quickly infect the tissues in the skull. It can cause uncontrolled rapid swelling that can quickly block off a patient's airway with immediate suffocation.
A chronic abscessed tooth can feed the body with invading bacteria and cause abnormal blood clotting within arteries and veins. A clot created from these bacteria can cause a heart attack, stroke, or even a premature baby. It is nothing to fool around with. We all desire a happy, healthy and long life. Denying the importance of a festering infection can destroy these hopes.
A tooth can die and cause pus formation in the surrounding dental bone. A dead tooth can also cause a gum abscess that grows exclusively in the gums surrounding the dead tooth. This is called an endo/perio abscess because it started in the inside of the tooth (endo) and ended up in the gum (periodontal) tissues. A gum abscess can kill a tooth. This is called a perio/endo abscess . The periodontal infection overwhelmed the tooth and killed it. It started with a gum infection. In most cases, the correct antibiotics are prescribed and if possible, the tooth is drained of pus so that it can not grown. Sometimes a drain is placed into the abscess to carry the pus out of the body so the it doesn't swell. The patient should sleep, relax, and eat well to help strengthen the immune system that is fighting the infection. If the gums caused problem, the gums should be scaled and root planed as soon as the infection is brought under control The a comprehensive and detailed dental examination should be done to identify any other areas that can potentially cause problems also. If caused by a dead tooth, if possible, this dead tooth should have a root canal or be removed to get rid of the dead tissue inside the tooth.
Some dentists believe that an abscessed tooth is sterile. That is, that there are no living bacteria inside the dead tooth. However, there are documented cases where serious and life threatening infections have developed. In light of this fact, it should always be treated seriously and with aggressive antibiotic therapy to prevent even the remote possibility of a patient's death. If you are having dental problems and would like to schedule a free dental consultation with Atlanta Family Dentist, Dr. Mark Allan Padolsky, call 404-874-7428 for an appointment.