Diagnosis of a Tooth Abscess

The diagnosis of a tooth abscess can be easy if it is done by a medical professional. There are several different kinds of abscesses, so depending on which type you have will determine your course of treatment. It is important to see the dentist to get the correct diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible so the condition does not worsen.

To start with, you should call and make an appointment with the dentist. Describe your symptoms to the person making the appointment so they know what to expect when you go in. They can also determine if you are a priority and need to get in right away for treatment.

Once you get to the dentist’s office, they might do several things. First, they will probably do a visual exam on the mouth and gums. If you have a gingival abscess, they will be able to see it. If it is large, they may also do an x-ray to see how deep the infection goes and if it reaches the bone. The dentist might poke around in your mouth and look for other signs of the type of abscess you have.

The abscesses that are above the gums and visible will need to be ruptured. The pus within the abscess will need to be cleaned out before any medicine can be taken. Depending on how deep the abscess is, the dentist may need to do some internal cleaning. They may scrape out the diseased tissue or use a rinse to kill off any lingering bacteria.

Other types of abscesses lie under the gums and aren’t necessarily visible to the eye. The dentist will need to do an x-ray to see exactly which teeth are infected and how deep the infection goes. If the infection is minor, cleaning out the abscess, if possible, will be done and probably a course of antibiotics will be given. Larger infections might require minor procedures or small surgery to fix.

Deep or large abscesses might require multiple treatments. The abscess will need to be punctured and the pus released, antibiotics will be given and the damaged tooth might need to be pulled. Sometimes an abscess will damage the roots of a tooth beyond fixing and the tooth will have to be extracted in order for the infection to clear up. Antibiotics are given to make sure the infection goes away and stays away. Special care might be prescribed for several weeks as the infected area heals.