Abscessed Tooth Treatment: How Dentists Stop Infection Fast

Common signs include a severe toothache, swollen gums or facial swelling, pus or a bad taste in the mouth, and fever or a general feeling of illness. An abscess is a bacterial infection with a collection of pus, and it will not clear up without treatment. Untreated, it can spread to the jaw, sinuses, or bloodstream.

Treatment centers on draining the infection to relieve pressure and remove the source of bacteria. Antibiotics may be prescribed when the infection has spread beyond the tooth itself. The tooth then needs either root canal treatment to save it or extraction if the damage is too extensive to repair reliably.

Antibiotics can reduce swelling and slow an infection, but they do not remove its source. The bacteria living inside the tooth or root remain, so the abscess usually returns once the course finishes. Definitive treatment means draining the infection and then treating the tooth itself with a root canal or an extraction.

A tooth abscess is a serious infection that should not be delayed. Left untreated, it can spread into the jaw, the sinuses, the tissues of the face and neck, or the bloodstream. Fever, spreading facial swelling, or difficulty breathing or swallowing are signs that immediate care is needed rather than waiting.