This is usually caused when bacteria invade the innermost part of the tooth that contains blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue.
A dental abscess is a severe and potentially life-threatening condition that needs to be treated as soon as possible. Having a tooth abscess can cause fever, tooth sensitivity to hot and cold, a persistent toothache, swelling and a pimple-like bump on your gums near the infected tooth.
This condition is an emergency as the infection can spread into your jaw, surrounding tissue, and to other areas of the body. Before you can see the emergency dentist:
- Rinse your mouth with mild salt water several times to reduce the pain and draw the pus to the surface.
To treat this, the pus needs to be drained out to allow for a root canal procedure or extraction.