How dangerous are dental abscesses? Very dangerous. Especially if they are not treated in a timely and appropriate manner. Before I explain the very real dangers of untreated dental abscesses, it is important to have a basic understanding of what an abscess is, as well as how they are diagnosed and treated.
For this purpose, from this article, as well as from the following ones, you will learn everything you've ever wanted to know about dental abscesses, the dangers you expose yourself to if you don't treat them, as well as ways to prevent the development of dental abscesses.
Un abces dentar se formează atunci când o infecție bacteriană cauzează acumularea de puroi într-o pungă. Aceasta se întâmplă, de obicei, din cauza unei carii dentare netratate, a unei fisuri sau a unei leziuni la nivelul dintelui, care permit bacteriilor să pătrundă în interiorul dintelui și să ajungă la pulpa dentară. Pesta dentară este țesutul moale din centrul dintelui care conține nervi, vase de sânge și țesut conjunctiv. Odată ce bacteriile ajung în pulpă, ele încep să se înmulțească, provocând inflamație și deteriorarea țesutului. Pe măsură ce infecția progresează, corpul declanșează un răspuns imunitar, trimițând celule albe sanguine pentru a lupta împotriva infecției. Aceste celule, împreună cu bacteriile moarte și țesutul deteriorat, formează puroiul. Puroiul acumulat nu are unde să se elimine, așa că începe să exercite presiune asupra țesuturilor înconjurătoare. Această presiune duce la durere severă, umflătură și, uneori, febră. Abcesul se poate extinde de la vârful rădăcinii dintelui (abces periapical) sau de la gingie, în apropierea rădăcinii dintelui (abces parodontal). Dacă infecția nu este tratată, abcesul se poate sparge, eliberând puroiul și ameliorând temporar durerea, dar infecția poate persista și se poate răspândi.
This happens because a focal point of infection has formed in your mouth, where bacteria have multiplied. From food debris, combined with saliva, bacteria form which develop in plaque and attack the tooth enamel. If plaque is not removed regularly and correctly, by brushing your teeth and using dental floss, the bacteria multiply and penetrate through the soft tissue inside the tooth or gum, causing a dental abscess.
Abscesses in medicine are not limited to the mouth. These infected swellings can develop anywhere in the body where conditions are right for bacteria to accumulate and multiply. It's much the same as having an infection anywhere else in the body. The immune system will try to fight it off, but it will need help from antibiotics and other medical treatments or procedures.
However, dental abscesses are almost always a result of infected teeth. They can be caused by lacerations inside the mouth, but this is slightly rarer. Saliva has mild antibacterial properties, so cuts and lesions in the oral tissue tend to heal easily.
Symptoms and signs indicating the presence of an abscess
A dental abscess is the result of a bacterial infection and occurs against a backdrop of the body's weakened immunity. It manifests as a sac of pus located in the tissues around the tooth and swelling of the gum and face in the area of the infected tooth. You may feel pain throughout your mouth, but the most intense pain will be felt in the area with the diseased tooth.
It is possible to experience symptoms such as fever, dizziness, hot and cold flushes, agitation, sweating, and swelling around the face and neck. Some people experience no pain or only mild pain, but facial swelling and pus are the main signs indicating the presence of infection.
Other signs and symptoms that indicate the presence of a dental abscess are:
– inflammation of the gums and the area around the abscess
– bright red colour and inflammation of the gums
an unpleasant taste in the mouth and foul-smelling breath
– extension of pain to the jawbone, neck or ear on the same side as the affected tooth
– increase in the intensity of pain, particularly during chewing, on touching the tooth, or with heat
– fever, chills, headaches and general malaise
– change in tooth colour, which can be grey or pink
the tooth is starting to become loose
a bump resembling a pimple or boil on the cheek side of the gum
– Yellowish pus and blood discharge from the infected area
– the sensation of the tooth pushing/coming out, resulting in the inability to close the mouth
Types of dental abscess
In general, depending on the area of origin of the infection, dental abscesses are divided into three main categories:
- Gingival abscess The site of infection is located in the space between the gum and the tooth. A gum abscess appears as a result of bacteria developing in dental plaque on the gum line or from food debris remaining between the gum and the tooth.
- Periodontal abscess the site of infection is the periodontal pocket, a pouch that forms between the tooth and the adjacent tissue, and represents an affection of the lateral periodontium (the ligamentary support that fixes the tooth root to the jawbone).
- Periapical abscess The area where infection originates is inside the tooth, at the tip of the tooth root. Bacteria from untreated dental caries penetrate the tooth pulp and, from there, through the root canal, can spread into the tissues located beneath the tooth (ligaments, alveolar bone), causing infections in them. A periapical abscess can also occur in teeth with old or defective fillings or dental work.
If you are experiencing a dental abscess, book an urgent medical appointment and follow the treatment prescribed by your dentist. Otherwise, if left untreated properly and in time, the infection can spread throughout the rest of your mouth, as well as throughout your body, and can cause you much greater discomfort.
You can find out more about the complications that an untreated dental abscess can bring to your health from the following articles or from one of the specialists at the Chiromax dental clinic.