Extracting Abscessed Tooth
If you have a dental abscess, your dentist will do everything they can to protect and preserve your natural tooth. In some cases, an abscess can be effectively treated by making a small incision in the gums and draining the pus that’s accumulated in the infected area, treating the area with topical and possibly oral antibiotics. The more common treatment for a dental abscess is a root canal treatment, which removes infected pulp from inside a tooth and protects the tooth from further infection with antibacterial treatment and a dental crown. Sometimes, however, when the affected tooth is seriously damaged, the tooth needs to be extracted. If the damage has spread into the root of the tooth, an abscess can cause infection in the surrounding tissues, leading to bone loss in the jaw and increasing the risk of systemic infection. In these cases, the best treatment approach is extracting the abscessed tooth.
After an infected tooth has been extracted by a dental professional, the abscessed area is gradually eliminated by the body, which could take several weeks. Keeping the extraction site clean and following your dentist’s aftercare procedures will help your body eliminate infection, so make sure to listen closely as your dentist explains these procedures and don’t be afraid to ask questions. After your tooth is extracted, the extraction site will be packed with gauze; you’ll receive instructions on properly, carefully changing out this dressing and cleaning the area and your entire oral cavity. Your dentist may also prescribe oral antibiotics, and you should take care to complete the entire prescribed cycle of medication to ensure infection is eliminated.
In most cases, an abscess will heal on its own once the tooth is extracted. It is possible, however, for complications to occur. If the blood clot in the extraction site becomes dislodged or dissolves prematurely, a painful dry socket can form and delay healing. Dry sockets are more common in smokers and can also occur if you drink through a straw. While rare, it is possible for an abscess to become reinfected after the tooth is extracted, causing recognizable symptoms of infection like pain and swelling and requiring follow-up treatment. If the nerves surrounding an extracted tooth are damaged during extraction, this could cause tingling or numbness in the face or mouth, and this effect may be temporary or long-lasting. The good news is that these complications can be largely managed by adhering to care instructions and listening to your dentist. Of course, the complications that can come with a dental abscess can also be prevented by preventing abscesses from forming in the first place, a feat best achieved by keeping the teeth and oral cavity healthy with effective oral hygiene and routine dental visits. If you have teeth that are cracked or decayed, repairing this damage can restore the tooth’s natural barrier against infection, and keeping gum disease at bay helps reduce the likelihood of bacteria entering the gums and periodontal tissue. If an abscess does develop, prompt dental attention can help preserve the tooth, and regular dental checkups can also help nip infection in the bud before it wreaks havoc on the oral tissues and the teeth.