Dental abscesses may arise from trauma or decay reaching the pulp (nerve) of a tooth. When this happens, pain and/or swelling may arise. When bacteria enter a tooth through a crack or infected portion of tooth, a tooth becomes significantly infected. The bacteria travel through the internal pulp of a tooth and down into the bone, through which the nerve and blood vessels enter. Once this occurs, the bone, at the base of a tooth, begins to get destroyed.
The body attempts to wall off the infection and prevent the spread of infection, by forming a cyst. In other instances the infection continues to travel until it finds a location to escape out of, this is called a draining fistula. Swelling or significant bone damage may arise from the traveling infection.
A patient needs to take a dental abscess very seriously and make every effort to rid the body of the source of infection. This may be completed by having root canal therapy inside the infected tooth or a tooth extraction.
It has been documented that people have died from a dental abscess. In other instances, the infection may travel through the blood stream and cause health complications. It has been confirmed that the same bacteria in one’s mouth has been found in a mother’s fetus.
Infection travels, so take the advice of your dentist and attend to a dental abscess, in a prompt manner.
Contact Dr. Cohil today for an appointment (407) 889-9682. Your Apopka dentist.