Oral Health: Dental abscess and how to treat it
Right, first things first, what exactly is a dental abscess?
Unfortunately, there’s no nice answer: a dental or tooth abscess is basically a pocket of, pus caused by bacterial infection. Sound disgusting? It most certainly is but it is also essential that you identify the symptoms well in advance.
Some oral symptoms that you may be in abscess trouble include:
- toothache that can extend to the jaw, neck and even your ears
- facial swelling, particularly around the cheeks
- unusually high sensitivity to hot and cold
- unusually high sensitivity when chewing and biting
- sore and swollen lymph nodes under your jawline or in your neck
Most abscesses are quite painful, which is why people usually seek treatment right away. Sometimes the infection may cause little or no pain. Left untreated, an abscess can last for months and will not go away on its own, so it’s vital that you don’t ignore the symptoms and get the right dental abscess treatment.
Here are some great ways to avoid ever succumbing to the indignities of an abscess, and the fastest, most effective course of action if, sadly, you do.
How to avoid getting a dental abscess?
If you don’t want to experience a painful dental abscess, also known as a periapical abscess, here's what you do:
- Get rid of the sweet stuff; yes, sugar. Get rid of it, all of it. Sugar is eviler than all the baddies in every Superman movie ever made. And aside from the wretched things it can do to your body and organs, it turns perfectly sturdy teeth to mush
- Secondly, and equally importantly, never let your dental hygiene drift into holiday mode. A strict regimen of brushing with fluoride toothpaste and flossing after every meal will go a long way to keep your mouth free of anything evil enough to invade your teeth
- Thirdly, if your toothbrush looks like Albert Einstein on a bad hair day, it’s relativity to dental hygiene is, in theory, shot and you should replace it immediately
- Also, consider using a fluoride mouth rinse as an added weapon in your dental armoury.
Along with taking good care of your teeth, it is also essential to maintain good gum care. Find out how to prevent bleeding gums in our previous blog post!
Dental abscess treatment
How to treat dental abscess, you ask? Well, there’s only one answer here: hot foot to the nearest dentist.
Your dentist will first get rid of the infection by opening up and draining the abscess. They will then wash the affected area with a salt solution.
If they believe it can save your tooth, the dentist may then perform a root canal: a fairly involved procedure, but far more bearable than it was in yesteryear. If a root canal isn’t a viable option, the next course of action might be to pull the tooth; or to use a slightly less dramatic word, ‘extract’ it. Again, this is far from the string-and-slamming-door technology of the past.