Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Tooth Abscess

Sometimes, a pocket of pus may develop around the root of an infected tooth. This pocket of pus is known as abscess. The bad news about abscess is that it doesn’t go away on its own. You will have to get it treated. If an abscess is not treated on time, it can lead to tooth loss, or even worse. Therefore, you will need to visit your endodontist as soon as possible.

Reasons for tooth abscess

Tooth abscess is formed when the innermost side of the tooth, also known as pulp, gets infected. Although the outer side of the tooth is a harder surface, it can get weakened and allow bacteria to reach in the dentin and then pulp. The bacteria and infectious germs can infect the pulp, which is the combination of nerves and vessels. It means that an infected pulp can let the infection to spread in the areas where the vessels supply blood. The major reasons of abscess include:

• Cavities
• Periodontal disease
• Crack in the tooth

Leaving the infection untreated can lead to the death of tooth pulp. This process leads to the formation of tooth abscess.

Diagnosing an abscessed tooth

Certain signs can tell you that you have an abscessed tooth. Some of those signs include pain, fever, gum redness, foul taste, swelling, jaw pain, and difficulty in eating and swallowing.

In some situations, the abscess may be seen on the gum area. Pressing it will cause a thick liquid to be drained out. This liquid is the pus and it is definitely a tooth abscess you are pressing.

Treatment of tooth abscess

Although swelling and pain are the most common symptoms of an abscessed tooth, these symptoms may not occur all the times. It could mean that the abscess drains its liquid somewhere else. In case the abscess is not visible, your dentist will run a dental x-rays test to spot the site of infection.  A little tapping on the infected area can let your dentist know if the infection is actually an abscess.

In case your dentist is unable to diagnose an abscess, he may send you to an endodontist who has th especial training to treat the abscessed teeth.

Is there a way to prevent an abscessed tooth?

Having said all above, you may wonder if there could be any way you can prevent tooth abscess. The matter of fact is that you do not have to do anything special to prevent the tooth abscess. You will just have to make sure that you are taking good care of your oral health and hygiene. If you brush and floss your teeth according to recommendations, you are essentially avoiding the bacteria that cause infection which can lead to tooth abscess. Moreover, you will need to visit your dentist regularly to get your oral cavity fully checked.

Teeth Grinding and Resultant Facial Pain

Waking up with headache, sore teeth and jaw pain is a common condition among many people. This may be due to the habit of grinding teeth at night. This habit is also known as bruxism. Although stress and anxiety are thought to be the common reasons for bruxism, another reason for it may be the bad alignment of teeth.

What is bruxism?

Bruxism is basically a habit of grinding or clenching teeth together. Although it can happen in the day time, it happens mostly during night sleep. The disadvantage of this habit is that it can result in worn out, fractured, and/or chipped teeth. The most obvious symptom of this habit is the headache and jaw pain you may feel after waking up. Stress, anxiety, and bad alignment of teeth are the main reasons for this condition. Now, this condition can result in TMJ or TMD, also known as temporomandibular joint disorder. This issue is mainly associated with the chewing muscles of the lower jaw.

How to deal with this problem?

In most of the cases, dentists suggest the use of night guard while sleeping. Night guard is a clear, hard, and acrylic guard which is worn over the teeth in upper or lower jaw. After wearing this guard, your teeth will not be able to grind with each other. The making of this guard is pretty simple. Your dentist will take an impression of your teeth and send it to the laboratory where a customized guard, for your teeth only, will be prepared. You can also purchase over-the-counter night guard but these night guards are not guaranteed to fit on the teeth. This unfitting can be uncomfortable. Here, you can take advice from your professional dentist.

Since stress is one of the reasons for bruxism, it is very important to get relaxed before you go to the bed. Most of the times, you don’t need to consult a psychiatrist to get relaxed. You can do it at home. Take a warm shower before going to bed and consider having cup of herbal tea. There are certain relaxation techniques which you can apply to get relaxed.

Teeth grinding in children

Many people think that children do not grind their teeth. This is not quite right. Children have high emotions which can arise due to any smaller trigger. They may have issues in school or playground. These issues can lead to stressful thoughts and, ultimately, teeth grinding. Although there is no big issue with the baby teeth as those teeth are going to be replaced by adult ones, you don’t want your child to carry this habit to later stages of life.