An abscess is a pocket of infection located inside your body. You can have abscesses in various places, and they can be extremely dangerous. With a dental abscess, they may be more easily noticed, identified, and treated. However, this is not something that can wait. Read on and find out how to handle a dental abscess.

Know the Signs

An abscess can pop up unexpectedly on your gums and you might not notice it right away. It can feel like a blister and can be almost anywhere on the gums. Though caused by an infection, dental abscesses may not cause pain or other symptoms commonly associated with infections. However, dental abscesses are usually very painful and may cause fevers and overall feelings of being unwell. If the abscess should break open, fowl-tasting pus will emerge.

Call Your Dentist

For relatively healthy people, an abscess can be addressed with a prescription for antibiotics from your dentist. Once the infection is gone, your dentist will work with you to ascertain why the abscess occurred and what can be done to prevent it again.

Take Emergency Action

For certain people, a dental abscess can be a lot more serious. Those with heart conditions, artificial joints, and pacemakers should take aggressive action with a dental abscess. This type of infection can travel to prosthetics and cause them to become useless. An infection in the gums can also be dangerous for those with heart problems.

If the person suffering from the abscess is very old or suffering from autoimmune disorders, the infection can become a body-wide emergency. If you fall into one of the above special groups, go to an emergency room immediately. IV antibiotics may be necessary to quell the infection before it causes more problems.

The Cause of Dental Abscesses

When bacteria enter the gums, an infection can occur and create a pus-filled bubble. If the infection is minor and the person is healthy, the bubble may pop, and the infection might go away on its own. However, you can never know what caused the abscess if you don't seek help from your dentist. In many cases, bacteria, which is rampant in the mouth, will sneak in via a tiny cut. Cuts can happen when eating certain rough foods or flossing too vigorously. Another way bacteria enters is through a loose or decayed tooth. The source of the problem can usually be identified with an exam using X-rays. To find out more, speak to a dentist at a dental office such as Rabel Family Dentistry.