Heal Your Tooth Abscess

An abscessed tooth not only causes a great amount of pain.  If left untreated it can also cause serious health problems.  An abscess can cause damage to the surrounding teeth, damage to the jaw bone and in some cases even cause the afflicted person to die to a weakened immune system.  If you feel that you have a tooth abscess let our Bondi Beach emergency dental center take care of the problem before it gets worse.

What is a tooth Abscess

A tooth abscess is an infection of the tooth that creates a pus sac near the point of infection.  The pus can either be located at the root of the tooth or in the gums surrounding the infected tooth.  Our emergency dentist in Bondi Beach will take x-rays of the infected area to determine which type of abscess you have and create a proper treatment plan.

How to Treat an Abscess at Home

It is important that you visit a dentist at the first sign of a tooth abscess to get the infection under control.  While at home waiting for you visit, you should rinse your mouth with warm salt water or antiseptic mouth wash.  You will also want to start cold compresses on the infection site to reduce swelling.  Place the compression on the area for about two minutes at a time.  This will also help control the pain until you can visit our emergency dentist in Bondi Beach.

Treating an Abscesses Tooth

At the Bondi dentist we will x-ray your tooth to find the exact location of the infection and to determine if the abscess is at the root or in the gums surrounding the tooth.  If the abscess is at the root of the tooth, we will determine if the tooth is viable and discuss your options with you.  You can either have a root canal to drain the abscess or excise the tooth.

If the abscess is in the gum, we will first drain the area and thoroughly clean and disinfect it.  The roots of the tooth will be smoothed out to promote healthy growth and a follow-up appointment will be scheduled to check the progress of the tooth.  In severe cases, gum surgery is necessary to alleviate the abscess. 

Caring for Your Mouth

After an abscess is treated, antibiotic medication will be prescribed.  It is important to follow the instructions given and take all of the antibiotics to ensure that the infection is completely gone.  Continue to rinse your mouth with warm salt water three to four times a day.  If the tooth has been extracted, chew on the opposite side of the mouth to make sure that no food particles are in the extraction site.

Abscess Prevention

The best way to prevent an abscess is with regular visits with us at Bondi Dental.  At each visit we will take x-rays of your teeth and will notice the first signs of decay.  In addition, we will monitor the health of your jawbone.  Plaque will be removed from your teeth to keep them healthy.  With regular visits to our  Bondi Beach dentist we will be able to watch the health of your teeth and you will not need the services of a Bondi Junction Emergency dental clinic.