What Every Child Must Know About Abscessed Tooth

By Author: Om Dental Clinic Mumbai
Total Articles: 1
Comment this article

An abscessed tooth is nothing but oral hygiene gone badly. But do we need to panic yet? No, certainly not. Thank the good family Dentist, who made the treatment of an abscessed tooth so easy and absolutely painless. But before you hop up on to the dentist’s chair, here is a little know-how about dental abscesses and the related pain.

Let us first understand what exactly is an abscessed tooth?
“Abscesses in the teeth are infections deep in the gums and surrounding tissue. These infections are results of pus being accumulated in the area and left unattended for a long time.” – Source: nhs.uk

A dental abscess may look rather scary, but once treated by a dentist properly, you need not worry.

There are mainly two types of abscesses:

1. Periapical abscess – this is the type of abscess that starts from a dental pulp. This has been identified as one of the most common ones that occur in children.

2. Periodontal abscess – this is the type of abscess that starts somewhere in the supporting bone of the teeth as well as the tissue structures.

Symptoms
There ...
... are a significant number of symptoms that indicate the occurrence of an abscess in the teeth of children. They are:
1 . Drainage of pus is an obvious sign
2 . Possible occurrence of vomiting, chills or fever
3 . Some instances where there is redness, swelling, and pain in the face and mouth of the child.
4 . A child may also show some level of extra sensitivity of his or her tooth whenever eating or drinking heated food or cold drinks.
5. When a child complains of pain when his or her tooth is touched, then that is also a sign.

Source: (http://www.dentistrytoday.info/content/gum-abscess-children)

Treatments and Home Remedies

1. Cavities cause abscess, your dentist will prescribe oral antibiotics to treat the infection, but the abscess will come back if the decayed tooth is not treated. However, if the source of the problem is a milk tooth, it is extracted.

2. For abscessed permanent teeth, the dentist may perform a root canal or generally referenced as a “endodontic therapy”. Understand all about the cost and root canal treatment in Mumbai.

3. Ask your dentist, about giving your child an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen. Cold compresses can treat swelling well and washing the mouth with warm salt water can ease gum pain.

Prevention of Gum & Tooth Problems
1. Oral hygiene is very important and its importance must be explained at a very tender age.

2. Children that are resistant to daily oral care may respond to gold star charts and other rewards for good oral hygiene.

3. Sugary drinks such as soda and packed juice are common culprits and must be avoided.