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What are the symptoms of a dental abscess?

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ADDITIONAL CONTENT

Polyglandular deficiency syndromes are hereditary disorders in which several endocrine glands (ie, glands that secrete hormones) malfunction together. Which of the following is the most appropriate treatment for these types of disorders?

Antifungal therapy
Changes in diet and exercise
Hormone replacement therapy
Umbilical cord transplantation

Dental Abscess

(Tooth Abscess)

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Last full review/revision Apr 2020| Content last modified Apr 2020

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An abscess is a collection of pus. Pus is a mix of white blood cells, dead tissue, and bacteria. It builds up wherever your body is fighting an infection.

A dental abscess is an abscess that forms around the root of your tooth. A severe abscess can spread into your gums, cheeks, or jawbone.

A dental abscess is caused by bacteria that get in the pulp of your tooth or in the gums surrounding the tooth. The pulp can become infected when you have a deep cavity or a cracked tooth.

Your body attacks the infection with large numbers of white blood cells. The dead white blood cells become the pus that forms the abscess.

Tooth

A dental abscess causes:

Constant tooth pain that gets worse when you chew food
Sensitivity to hot or cold food
Swelling of your gums
Sometimes, fever
Sometimes, swelling of your jaw, the floor of your mouth, or cheeks
Sometimes, difficulty opening your mouth or swallowing

Eventually the abscess can break open, letting the pus drain.

Dentists give you pain medicine and antibiotics and treat the abscess by:

Draining the pus with surgery or a root canal

Root canal is a dental procedure to remove the pulp from your tooth. The dentist then fills and seals the tooth canal.

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What is a dental abscess?

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