Caring For Your Dental Health – How A Tooth Abscess Develops

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. How a tooth abscess develops through trauma can be a question. Tooth trauma such as a a broken or chipped tooth can lead to a tooth abscess. Cracks and fractures on the enamel and dentin could permit bacteria in the pulp, bringing on tooth infection. From the root of the tooth, the infection could affect the bones supporting the tooth.

3. Unrepaired restorations. Just like trauma, weakened dental restorations (e.g., fillings) may break down over time and allow bacteria to access the pulp, potentially causing a tooth infection 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. Accumulation of pus (dead tissue, live and dead bacteria, white blood cells) creates inflammation and soreness of the tissues within the tooth. This brings about an awful toothache. Unless an abscess develops, the toothache may stop when the root of the tooth dies. This is basically how a tooth abscess develops, particularly when the infection continues to be active and spreads to the tissues.

Having severe toothache is the main symptom. It can be a continuous pain and often described as gnawing, sharp, shooting, or throbbing.

Other symptoms may include: bitter taste in the mouth, breath odor, general discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling, fever, pain when chewing, sensitivity of the teeth to hot or cold, swollen glands of the neck, swollen area of the upper or lower jaw — a very serious symptom. Know how a tooth abscess develops to be able to avoid them. Aside from proper oral hygiene and regular dental check-ups, prompt treatment of dental caries reduces the risk of tooth abscess.