An abscessed tooth occurs when there is inflammation and some type of infection inside your tooth. While it can come on quite suddenly, most experience some mild symptoms early on before they see the abscess itself. If left untreated, there is a chance that the abscess can rupture and push the infection deeper inside your body. It can even lead to a condition called blood poisoning. Though you can usually wait a few days to see a dentist, there are some times when you need to make an emergency appointment with your dentist.
What Does an Abscess Look Like?
An abscess generally looks like a small pocket that forms on your gums and directly above the infected tooth. Though it can appear as a small white pocket, it may range in color from soft pink to dark or bright red. If you press down on this pocket with your tongue or finger, you can feel liquid or fluid inside. This is puss caused by the infection. Patients with a broken tooth may feel an abscess inside the tooth too.
When to See a Dentist
You should see a dentist for any abscess tooth that worsens over time and causes pain. As the abscess increases in size, the infection inside your tooth grows. The longer you leave it untreated, the greater your risk is of developing blood poisoning and other problems. It’s also important to see a dentist when you experience a great deal of pain that interferes with your life or pain that makes it hard to sleep. That pain can radiate from your tooth to along your gums and to other parts of your mouth.
Making an Emergency Appointment
An emergency dentist offers hours outside of the standard 9 to 5 hours that other offices keep. This lets you make an appointment at night or even in the middle of a weekend. These offices are often open on holidays too. If you have any questions about making an appointment with an emergency dentist, check this out. These dentists have experience handling a number of dental problems beyond an abscessed tooth, including ruptured wisdom teeth, pain caused by gum disease and broken teeth. Though an abscessed tooth can cause quite a bit of pain as the infection in your tooth grows, a dentist can drain the abscess and treat the infection too.