A tooth abscess is a pocket on your gum area filled with pus. A bacterial infection causes this, and the usual culprits are poor oral hygiene, previous dental work, and untreated oral health issues.
To treat a dental abscess, we do incision and drainage.
What is an indication of incision and drainage in dental abscess? You should look for a small pimple or bump on your gum area.
This can hurt if you press on it, and sometimes, a cloudy liquid will squeeze out from it. Bad breath, swollen lymph, painful biting, and fever are other signs of a dental abscess.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, here are some important details about incision and drainage of dental abscess that our dentists at Orange Park Smiles want you to know…
Go to your emergency dentist immediately
There is no safe way to drain a tooth abscess at home. This bacteria-filled pocket will hurt if you try to poke or squeeze it. Doing it on your own will do more harm than good.
At Orange Park Smiles, our goal is to relieve you of pain and preserve your tooth. Contact our emergency dentist as soon as this problem arises.
Here’s how the surgery will go…
A localized abscessed tooth can still be saved with root canal treatment. But before that, dental abscess incision and drainage are necessary. This will remove and prevent bacteria growth.
After administering anesthesia, your dentist will cut into the abscess and drain the pus. Washing off with saline helps to neutralize the surgical area and eliminate debris. If necessary, a rubber drain will be placed to resolve the swelling completely.
Root canal treatment is done after
After about 1-2 weeks, once the area has healed, root canal treatment will help eliminate the infection inside your tooth.
Your dentist will thoroughly clean and medicate each canal for bacteria control. This will keep your root canal treatment intact for many years.
Afterward, your dentist will now design and create your dental crown to reinforce the strength and appearance of your tooth.
If all else fails, we may need to extract…
But for significantly more extensive tooth area involvement, extracting an abscessed tooth may be a better solution. This will prevent the further spread of bacteria to the surrounding teeth, gums, and bones.
Antibiotics are necessary
Pulling an abscessed tooth without antibiotics can be tricky. Abscesses offset the effects of anesthesia, so it will hurt if we try to pull it out.
So, at Orange Park Smiles, we recommend taking the prescribed antibiotics for 3-7 days to keep the swelling and infection at bay.
This will keep you comfortable throughout the procedure as your dentist extracts the abscessed tooth.
What Happens After Extracting an Abscessed Tooth?
Extractions should completely heal after about two weeks. The next step is determining the best solution to replace the missing teeth.
Whether it is a fixed bridge or dentures, our dentists at Orange Park Smiles are happy to help you explore your choices to bring back your smile.
To learn more about incision and drainage of a dental abscess, call our Jacksonville office at (904) 264 – 9911. We look forward to helping you achieve optimal oral health with our comprehensive range of dental treatments.
