Urgent — call today
Dental abscess — what to do.
A dental abscess is a bacterial infection that won’t resolve on its own. Catching it and treating it early prevents serious complications — and stops the pain.
What is an abscess?
An abscess is a pocket of pus caused by a bacterial infection — in dental terms, either inside a tooth (when the nerve has died and become infected) or in the gum tissue beside a tooth. Both kinds are caused by bacteria that have found their way into a space they don’t belong, and both need treatment to clear up.
Signs you may have one
- Throbbing, persistent tooth pain — often radiating to the jaw, ear, or neck
- A pimple-like bump on the gum near the tooth, sometimes draining
- Facial swelling on one side
- A bad taste in your mouth that won’t go away
- Fever or feeling generally unwell
- Tooth that feels tender to chew on, or feels “higher” than the others
The absence of pain doesn’t rule out an abscess. Some long-standing dental infections cause minimal pain because the pressure has found a path to drain — that’s what the small bump on the gum often is. Lack of pain doesn’t mean lack of harm.
Why it’s urgent
Untreated dental infections can spread — into the jawbone, into the soft tissue of the face and neck, and in rare but serious cases, into the bloodstream. Most dental abscesses are easily treated when caught early. The longer they go untreated, the more complicated the treatment becomes.
If you have severe facial swelling that’s spreading toward your eye or down your neck, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or a fever above 101 with the dental symptoms — go to the nearest emergency room immediately. Those are signs the infection has progressed and needs hospital-level care.
How we treat it
The first step is almost always to drain the abscess and start antibiotics, which gives the swelling time to come down. The second step addresses what caused the infection — usually either root canal therapy to clean and seal the inside of the tooth, or, if the tooth can’t be saved, an extraction. We’ll walk you through which path makes sense once we’ve examined the tooth and reviewed the X-ray.
Both treatments are routine in this office. You’ll leave the first visit with the infection draining, the pain settling, and a clear plan for the rest of the treatment.
An abscess needs same-day care.
Call our office today so we can get you in same-day during clinical hours.