What To Do When You Have a Periapical Tooth Abscess In New York
Does your mouth hurt? Do you have a bitter taste in it? You may have a periapical abscess, which is when pus gathers at the root of your tooth. If you leave it alone, you could possibly risk having problems in other parts of your body, like your heart, lungs, and your brain. It’s important you see a Queens dentist as soon as possible.
Don’t panic. Here is what to do when you have a periapical tooth abscess in New York.
Tooth Abscesses: Signs, Symptoms & Causes
When you get bacteria inside of a tooth, you will get a tooth abscess. It’s usually due to your neglecting your dental hygiene routine, though there are other causes that will be discussed a bit further down.
Here are the symptoms that you may have:
- Bad breath
- Bitter taste in your mouth
- Lockjaw (trismus)
- Pain when you bite down on something, chew, or if you clench your teeth
- Pus draining from the tooth
- Tooth sensitivity when drinking hot or cold beverages
- Swelling of the gum tissue around your tooth
- Toothache
There are some other things that you may experience that you might not associate with having an issue with your teeth:
- Earache
- General malaise
- Nausea/vomiting
- Fever
- Dizziness
If you have the following symptoms, do NOT hesitate to get medical care, since it could be life-threatening:
- Problems breathing
- Dizziness
- Fever accompanied with chills
- Nausea/vomiting
Besides poor dental hygiene, here are some other things that can possibly cause you to have a tooth abscess:
- You have dental work and bacteria attacks the area that was worked on
- You chip or break a tooth
- You have dry mouth
- You have gingival recession
- You have a lot of sugary drinks and food
- You are a smoker
The first two listed above are very rare causes for an abscess – you should not skup dental work out of fear of that. Saliva is important to wash away bacteria, and if you have a dry mouth, that can allow bacteria to proliferate. This is usually a problem for people who are immunocompromised or undergoing chemotherapy.
How Do You Treat a Tooth Abscess?
The first thing the dentist will do is take a look at your mouth to ensure that it is, indeed, a tooth abscess. They may take an X-ray to pinpoint how large the abscess is and its exact location. You may get antibiotics to fight the infection. Your Queens dentist may also do one of the following things, too:
Root Canal Treatments
If your tooth is damaged from the abscess, they will drill into the tooth, remove the infected pulp and root, and then put a crown on top of the tooth to protect it.
An Extraction Of The Infected Tooth
There are times that the tooth may be too far gone. That means that the tooth has to go. The dentist will then give a strong anesthetic to the area to numb it up and then remove it.
Incision & Drainage The Gum
This scenario is if the abscess has really grown and the gums are full of pus. Yes, it’s not an appetizing scene. The dentist has to cut along the gums and allow the pus to drain out. Then they will clean the area and possibly give you antibiotics.
Use Painkillers To Alleviate The Tooth Pain After Any Procedure
Just like having a wisdom tooth extracted or a root canal, your mouth may hurt a good amount after the anesthetic wears off. You can take Tylenol and Advil to manage the pain. Aspirin should be avoided since it can prolong the bleeding in your mouth.
Another good thing to do is to rinse your mouth out with warm salt water. That can keep the area clean and also keep bacteria from forming in the surgery area.
As mentioned before, neglecting to get a tooth abscess fixed can result in your having anything from sepsis (blood infection) to meningitis to infections of the heart valves. This is not something you want to try to wait to go away. Otherwise you can face a lot of expensive surgery.
How can you prevent it? Brush your teeth properly twice a day, floss once, eat healthy foods, drink a lot of water, and see your Queens dentist twice a year. Doing all of those can keep your mouth in good shape, but the dental visits are the most important, since the dentist can catch a lot of gum disease in its early stages that way.
Contact Our Experienced Dentists In Queens, NY
If you have a tooth abscess, you should contact our experienced dentists in Queens, NY. Dr. Robert M Trager, the JFK-LGA Dentist, will be able to help you. He will use his years of experience to help you navigate this issue. Give him a call today to make an appointment – 718-656-4747.
Dr. Robert M. Trager
JFK Airport
Building 14 West Wing,
Jamaica, NY 11430
Phone: 718-656-4747
Website: https://jfk-lga-dentist.com
