The Danger of Dental Abscesses

Posted on January 30, 2017

We’re all guilty of missing the occasional dental appointment here and there. Whether it’s because of anxiety and fear, laziness, or pure forgetfulness; sometimes we forget to make our regularly scheduled appointments for check-ups. At the time, for San Francisco patients this may seem completely harmless. Your teeth may feel fine and look amazing at the moment, and therefore you don’t have any dental concerns. You may not be experiencing any tooth pain or soreness and think that you don’t need to come in for your yearly check-up. And then a couple of months later, you start feeling intense tooth pain near the back of your jaw, and now you have to see an emergency dentist.

At our comfortable San Francisco office, Dr. Skoulas understands that sometimes it’s hard to fit appointments into your everyday schedule. However, it’s important that you don’t skip visiting your dentists, especially when you are in serious pain! One of the reasons we recommend this is because of dental abscesses. These infections are very common among patients who are not keeping up with their scheduled dentist appointments. Usually, when San Francisco patients find out they have an abscess, it’s too late for a normal check-up, and they require an emergency dentist.

What Are Dental Abscesses?

Abscesses are infections in your mouth that occur in your tooth or gum. It’s a pocket of pus that is typically caused by a bacterial infection. This serious condition can spread to other parts of your mouth including gum tissue and your other teeth. If left untreated, the infection can affect other parts of your mouth and body, resulting in a whole host of problems including an unpleasant smile and a bacterial infection. Also, your abscess can have other complications without immediate treatment. In some cases, dental cysts or other bacteria-related infections can come into play along with an abscess.

Symptoms of Dental Abscesses

• Temperature sensitivity: When your teeth are sensitive to very hot or cold foods or beverages, it may be a sign that you have an abscess and need to see an emergency dentist.
• Bad taste in your mouth: Because of the pus and bacteria, you may have a foul taste in your mouth. For San Francisco patients, this can be a warning sign that there may be an infection.
• Pain in the infected area: If you are feeling pain in a specific area of your mouth, an abscess may be the cause.
• Pain when biting down: An abscess will also usually be affected if you are biting or chewing. This area will be especially painful, confirming that there is indeed a dental problem.

Although these are all signs of a dental abscess, pain is the main indicator. If you think you may have an abscess, see emergency dentist Dr. Skoulas immediately. Call us today at (415) 757-0110 for an appointment so we can fix your problem right away!