If you suddenly start feeling pain in your mouth with a tooth, or just in general, there is a good chance you may have an abscessed tooth. Anyone can develop this type of problem, and it is almost always a painful experience. If you have pain in your mouth, you should visit a dentist to find out if you have an abscessed tooth.

The symptoms

First of all, an abscessed tooth is likely to have symptoms, and these can often include swelling, bad breath, a bad taste in your mouth, and pain. The pain is not just limited to the tooth that is infected, though, because it often extends into the face, ear, head, and neck. It may feel like a throbbing pain, and you might feel more pain when you chew on food. The type of pain caused by an abscessed tooth is not easily treatable with over-the-counter pain medications, which means you might find it hard to find relief from the pain, even if you take medication for pain relief.

How it happens

When you develop an abscessed tooth, it is due to an infection, and the infection is what causes the pain. An abscess is another word for a pocket of pus that forms in some area near a tooth, and it is always the result of bacteria. If left alone, the pus pocket might burst, which would offer some relief, but it might cause the infection to spread to other parts of your body. In many cases, an abscess occurs from plaque left on teeth or from bacteria seeping deep into the roots of teeth. If you have untreated oral problems, you will have a higher risk of developing an abscessed tooth.

How dentists diagnose and treat abscessed teeth

To find out if this is what is going on in your mouth, you will need to visit a dentist. Your dentist might be able to diagnose the problem simply by looking in your mouth. An abscessed tooth is often easy for a dentist to see. In some cases, though, dentists will diagnose abscessed teeth by taking X-rays. To treat this problem, the dentist may give you antibiotics, which will kill the infection. After that, you may need to go through some type of dental procedure to fix the problem and prevent it from reoccurring. This may include getting a cavity filled, getting a root canal, or going through gum disease treatment.

If you are experiencing pain or problems with your mouth, visit your family dentist. This will be the only way to find out what is causing the pain and receive the treatment you need to eliminate the pain and the problem.