Have An Abscessed Tooth? 3 Reasons To Seek Emergency Dental Care Right Away
If you have a dental abscess, don't wait to see your dentist. You may think the abscess will go away on its own, but that's not the case. You may even think it's safe to wait for a regular office visit. That's the worst thing you can do, especially when you have an abscess. You might not realize this, but an abscess can cause serious problems for you. Dental abscesses begin as infections. Swelling is caused by bacteria oozing out of the gums into a small pocket of tissue. Once you have an abscess, you need to seek emergency dental care right away. Here are three risks you face if you ignore a dental abscess.
Infection Could Spread
If you have an abscess, you need to have the infection cleared up as soon as possible. The infection won't remain in one location for long. In fact, without dental care, the infection could spread throughout your body. The first place the infection can spread is to your jaw bone. If that happens, you put the surrounding teeth at risk. Next, the infection can spread to your sinuses. That's because the roots of your top teeth extend into the nasal cavity. Finally, without dental care, the infection can pass through to your bloodstream. This type of infection is called septicemia. Without treatment, septicemia can be fatal. Don't let the infection spread. See your emergency dentist at the first sign of an abscess.
Pain Will Intensify
If you have a dental abscess, you'll start to feel some pain around the affected tooth. The pain is caused by pressure from the swelling. If the pressure isn't reduced, the pain will continue to intensify. Not only that, but once the infection gets into the nerves, you'll feel a sharp throbbing pain in your gums. Unfortunately, the pain won't go away until you have the right dental care. Before the pain gets unbearable, seek emergency dental care for the abscess.
Damage Could Be Irreparable
If you found an abscess on your gums, you may think your teeth are safe. That's not necessarily the case. If you have an abscess, chances are good that your tooth's root is affected. If that's the case, delaying treatment could lead to irreparable damage. In fact, your dentist may need to remove the tooth. Luckily, you can avoid that by seeking dental care as soon as you find an abscess on your gums.
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