Is a Dental Abscess an Emergency?
One of the most common reasons for emergency dental visits is an abscessed tooth. Without prompt, thorough treatment, dental abscess can cause significant consequences for the oral health and also for the overall health. If you notice any symptoms of a tooth abscess, make sure to contact your dentist right away, and if symptoms are severe enough to interfere with your ability to swallow or breathe, or if you have a fever, seek emergency medical attention. A general doctor won’t treat your abscess, but they can help prevent infection from spreading and provide relief for other debilitating symptoms if you can’t get to an emergency dentist right away.
An abscess is an infection that produces pus, pain, and swelling and that requires immediate medical attention. Dental abscesses can occur in the gums, between the gums and the teeth, or inside the root of a tooth. Most commonly caused by untreated tooth decay or damage to a tooth like chip or fracture, dental abscess can also arise from untreated, advanced gum disease. When dental abscess goes untreated, infection can spread into the bones that support the teeth and could even enter the bloodstream and spread through the body. To prevent infection from spreading, any dental abscess should be treated as soon as possible, and familiarity with the symptoms of abscess will help you know if you should seek treatment. If you notice a severe toothache or pain in your mouth, or if your teeth are sensitive to temperatures and your gums appear red or swollen, you may have an abscess. If you notice an open sore in your mouth or if there’s a sour or bitter taste and bad smell in your mouth, or if you have a fever or your jaw appears swollen, these are also signs of a possible abscess.
Dental abscess is definitely considered a dental emergency, as untreated infection can spread through the body and should be eliminated as soon as possible. The preferred method of treating dental abscesses is by draining infection before cleaning and treating the damaged tooth before sealing it to protect it from further infection. If needed, the dental pulp is removed from the tooth root, in a procedure called a root canal, and the infection is treated before the tooth is preserved with a dental crown. If the abscess can’t be drained or removed, either because of the severity of the infection or the location of the abscess, a course of antibiotic treatment may be recommended before the tooth can be cleaned and repaired. If the abscessed tooth is too damaged to repair or restore, infection is treated by removing the tooth.
When antibiotic treatments and removal of infected tissue aren’t sufficient to reduce swelling or fever, hospitalization may be necessary, though this outcome is relatively rare. In many cases, a root canal treatment is effective at removing infection and diseased tissue and restoring the integrity of the teeth, and, when the prognosis for root canal isn’t favorable, extraction of the infected tooth eliminates the risk of systemic infection. In all cases, the sooner a dental abscess is treated, the better, so if you suspect that you have a dental abscess, treat it like the emergency that it is and see your emergency dentist as soon as you can. Prompt treatment could help save your tooth or even save your life.