Emergency tooth abscess
There are some dental emergencies that should not wait until morning, many of which are so painful that immediate treatment is imminent. If you have an abscessed tooth for example, you need to call our Bondi dentist and have the situation remedied and taken care of immediately. Abscessed teeth can be painful and dangerous, and thus you should seek medical attention right away. Your dentist can start to treat the abscess and help you get rid of the pain you feel.
What is a tooth abscess?
An abscessed tooth is an acute infection of the tooth, with pus forming. The pus can either be in the pulp of the tooth or in the gums surrounding the infected tooth. Bondi Dental’s emergency dentist in Bondi Beach will provide drainage of the pus by either root canal therapy or extraction. Antibiotic will also sometime be necessary to control the spread of the infection systemically.
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 tissues, damage to the jaw bone and in some cases even affect the immune system resulting in death of the afflicted person. If you have a tooth abscess let our Bondi Dental emergency dental centre take care of the problem before it gets worse.
Different types of tooth abscess
Our experienced emergency dentist at Bondi Dental’s Bondi Beach Dental Surgery we identify three different types of abscess tooth emergencies being
- From the root tip (periapical)
- Failed Root canal treatment
- Tooth root fracture that has became infected
- On-going chronic long term Periodontal disease turned acute
- Third molar (wisdom teeth) impaction
Emergency periapical abscess
A periapical abscess is developed from a chronic low grade infection at or around the apex or root of a tooth. As such a periapical abscess may perforate into the gum like a 'gum boil', or spread through the soft tissue causing major swelling in the face and neck.
A periapical abscess emergency is identifiable by acute tooth ache and an obvious elevation in the tooth it surrounds. This happens when the chronic non-healed abscess has now become infected. The patient will suffer acute pain when chewing on the side and find it extremely tender to touch even by the tongue.
Sometimes the onset is rapid. The spread of the infection causes rapid swelling in the face or neck area (cellulites). The swelling from the infected upper teeth may cause the closing of the lower eye lid, and in the case of the lower teeth, it may cause swelling down the side of the neck. These are serious conditions and it will require urgent treatment to prevent other major health risk.
Causes of an abscess
An emergency abscess of the tooth can originate from one or a combination of more varied dental issues such as long term tooth decay, teeth that are broken or cracked and advance periodontal disease, all of which may lead to a toothache emergency and may require the services of an emergency dentist.
Although the word 'emergency' often brings to mind an action that is fast and sudden, in the case of a dental emergency, it is actually a long term neglect of untreated dental problems that usually results in an abscess tooth emergency. It is therefore only the last and often painful "rupture" in the abscess process that generates the actual emergency.
At Bondi Dental we come across dental work which had not been managed properly, be it a root canal treatment that had failed, a faulty filling with undetected decay underneath, a crown which had not been biologically sealed and, if not detected in time, the tooth may become dead, and becomes a chronic painless non-healing condition. If it is infected, an acute painful abscess is formed.
Bondi Dental’s Sydney dentists frequently treat emergency abscesses that are a result of poor dental management in the past
If you are in pain with an abscess tooth, call our Bondi emergency dentist at Bondi Dental right away. An abscess is incredibly painful, and the faster you get into the dentist, the sooner the pain will go away.
Dental treatment for abscess
Our Bondi Dental emergency dentist will take an x-ray of your mouth to determine the cause and source of the abscess.
He will then decide with you the options most appropriate for you situation. Root canal therapy can commence to drain and dress the infected tooth. Antibiotic can be prescribed. In the severely broken down cases, extraction will be the only solution to resolve the infection.
Caring for Your Mouth
After an abscess is managed, 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 trapped in the extraction site.
Regular dental visits
Periodical visits to your dentist can prevent, detect and take care of such dental problems before an emergency need arises. If for whatever reason you have not been fortunate enough to track such damage with your dentist in the past it is always a good idea to book a consultation with Bondi Dental’s Principal Dentist, Dr. Andrew Sih, and ensure that you have no emergency crisis.
Pain is the most common precursor for any emergency visit, however there are more dangers that could be apparent beyond the aspect of pain when dealing with an abscess. Abscess of the tooth can go as far as to perforate the surrounding bone and lead to leaking into the surrounding tissue resulting in swelling. Lymphatic glands may provide a clue as to whether this is happening in your situation as your neck may become swollen as a result of an infection.
Restoring your smile
After the abscess has been successfully treated, Bondi Dental’s experienced dentist will help you find a permanent solution to restore the function of your teeth. If you have had a root canal treated tooth, a crown is needed in the near future to protect and strengthen the tooth which has been weakened by the root canal treatment.
If the tooth was extracted, our Bondi Dental dentist can offer you a dental implant procedure to replace the missing tooth. However the socket will require about three to six months to heal before the implant can be placed.
If you have an abscess, or are in pain, call Bondi Dental now: (02) 9365 3988