Oral Health – Understanding How A Tooth Abscess Develops

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by Rai Micht

A tooth abscess is an accumulation of infected material (pus) springing from a bacterial infection in the center of a tooth.

It can be particularly simple how a tooth abscess develops. Once the dental pulp (the living tissue in the center of the tooth consisting of nerves and blood vessels) gets infected with bacteria. There are many ways how bacteria can get into the pulp:

1. Tooth decay. A tooth abscess develops when decay in a tooth has not received appropriate dental care and it erodes the enamel and dentin until it finally reaches to the dental pulp. The acids released by the bacteria start to irritate the dental pulp tissue which becomes inflamed. The inflammation begins to constrict the blood flow to the pulp area, causing toothache. The dental pulp becomes infected and eventually dies. As the bacteria grow and multiply they are forced beyond the end of the tooth and they form an abscess around the root tip. The jaw bone gets infected too leading to the breakdown of the tooth’s supportive tissues.

2. Cracked tooth or trauma. You may question how a tooth abscess develops through a trauma. Teeth trauma, like when a tooth is broken or chipped, is a usual cause of tooth abscesses. Fractures or cracks on the enamel and dentin allows bacteria inside the pulp, causing the infection. This infection can extend from the root of the tooth to the supporting bones.

3. Unrepaired restorations. Comparable to trauma, weakened teeth restorations (like fillings) gets weaker over time and grant access to the pulp, likely causing tooth infections and abscess.

4. Periodontal gum disease. This can account to the gums pulling away from the teeth, building deep pockets between the teeth and gums. Bacteria could grow and an abscess may develop when food particle become stuck in these pockets.

5. Infection results in a collection of pus (dead tissue, live and dead bacteria, white blood cells) and swelling of the tissues within the tooth. This causes a painful toothache. If the root of the tooth dies, the toothache may stop, unless an abscess develops. This is especially true if the infection remains active and continues to spread and destroy tissue, basically how a tooth abscess develops.

Leading symptom is having severe toothache. The pain may be described as continuous gnawing, sharp, shooting, or throbbing.

Further symptoms include: sour taste in the mouth, halitosis, general pain, discomfort, or unwell feeling, fever, pain upon chewing, teeth sensitivity, swollen glands on the neck, inflammation of the upper or lower jaw — a very dangerous symptom. Avoiding their development, it is essential to know how a tooth abscess develops. Possessing good oral care and regular oral check-ups, as well as early remedy of tooth decay lowers the dangers of tooth abscess.

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