How to Identify an Abscessed Tooth

A tooth can become abscessed due to gum disease, tooth decay, or trauma to the tooth. An abscess is an infection that can occur either at the root of the tooth, or between the tooth and the gum. It is usually painful and ALWAYS dangerous—once the infection occurs, it can spread throughout your mouth and your body. In some cases, an abscessed tooth can even lead to death, which makes early treatment of an abscess essential. To counter this risk, you need to be able to identify a possible abscess as early as possible so that you can get immediate medical attention. Here is how to identify and abscessed tooth.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

How to Identify an Abscessed Tooth

1. A toothache is often the first sign of an abscessed tooth. If you experience a throbbing pain around a tooth, or have “shooting” or gnawing pains in that area, make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. In some cases, you may experience a severe toothache for awhile, and then your toothache will go away. But this DOES NOT mean that your abscess has gone away. When this happens, the abscess has killed the root of your tooth, but the infection is still there. You must still see your dentist for appropriate treatment.

2. Pain while chewing is another common indicator of an abscess. This symptom, combined with a toothache, is almost a sure sign of an abscessed tooth.

3. Swollen, or inflamed, gums are a visible sign of an infection, and can also indicate an abscess. This symptom may not be as noticeable as the first two, but it is a major sign of infection.

4. A bad taste in your mouth and/or bad smelling breath can be caused by the infection, and is another good indicator of an abscessed tooth. This means that infection is draining into your mouth.

5. A fever, or a feeling of sickness, is another sign of an abscessed tooth. These are well-recognized signs that your body is fighting an infection.

6. If your teeth are sensitive to either hot or cold, this could be a sign of an abscess.

7. Though the first two steps are the primary symptoms of an abscessed tooth, any of these steps, alone or in combination with some of the others, can indicate a problem, and you should see your dentist as soon as possible.