How dangerous is an abscessed tooth and what can it do to you

Is an abscessed tooth dangerous?

http://www.grotonwellness.com/Dental_Spa/Dental_Conditions/Abscess/

An abscessed tooth should be treated as you would appendicitis. It is a very serious infection and if left untreated, the bacteria causing the infection of the pulp can spread to the surrounding tissue and even bone. At this point, the bone…

What is the danger of an abscess tooth?

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_danger_of_an_abscess_tooth

Untreated tooth abscess is very dangerous. If abscessed tooth left untreated, the tooth infection can spread and you can lose your tooth or have other health problems. Left untreated, tooth abscess may compromise the immune system and in so…

How dangerous are tooth abscesses?

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090717085506AA6lj5Z

I had a dental abscess for about four years, under my dentist’s care. We tried various things, from “keep an eye on it” to lancing it to strong antibiotics. In the end, I lost the tooth, but we put up a good fight. An abscess can …

Related Questions Answered on Y!Answers

Question about abscessed wisdom tooth…?

Q: I have been having a gnawing pain on and off for probaly 6 mths or so on the right side of my face only (ear, jaw, tooth)…I made a dentist appt and he said my right back wisdom tooth was abscessed and put me on antibiotics, but he didnt really give me much info on what a abscess was and from my research this is pretty dangerous…My tooth doesnt look black or decayed or anything, but I have noticed a pimple like bump right beside of that tooth…Can I just up and die from this or are there warning signs? Why does the pain come and go? I am really freaking out about this and I cant get into my dentist to get it pulled for 3 more weeks!! Will a extraction completley take care of it or what if it has already spread? Anyone had experiences with a abscess..if so I would love to hear your stories and how you handled it? Am I just being paranoid? Sorry I know this is alot of ?s….thanks for your time!Sorry for not mentioning my age..20 yrs old

A: You don’t say how old you are, but it is normal in your later teens and 20’s to have problems with your wisdom teeth and most people have them removed simply because our mouths are no longer large enough to hold them and they tend to push all the teeth together. An abcess is an infection of the root of the tooth and does affect the area surrounding the tooth because of the inflamation and swelling of that root. Take your antibiotics and stay clear of anything like sweets, sodas, etc. that can get into your tooth and gum and irritate it more. When the infection is gone, your dentist will probably suggest having your wisdom teeth removed. Trust me – your wisdom is not in your teeth – having them removed won’t affect your brilliant mind or sparkling personality. Once the infection in your root starts to go away, so will the pain and gnawing feeling. Don’t be lulled by feeling great when it’s gone … get the tooth pulled. That pimple like thing you described is the flesh around the root affected by the infection. Clear up the infection, you’ll feel 100% better, and then get the tooth pulled. You’re not going to die. The best way to prevent abcesses in other teeth in the future of course is brush often, rinse with water when you can’t brush, and always floss between your teeth. I learned that lesson late in life when I had lost a lot of teeth. There’s a joke about a man who asked his dentist if it was really necessary to floss between all of his teeth because some were real hard to reach. The dentist told him, that’s fine, just floss the ones you want to keep.

Dental abscesses. Need help with how dangerous this is please!?

Q: I lost a huge filling on my farthest top back tooth. It had a root canal 7 years ago. When I lost the filling a few months ago, it didn’t hurt, until the past few weeks. I can feel the little screw in there from the work that was done before..Food is getting caught in that 1 tooth. I now have to pick it out (sorry that is GROSS, but it’s necessary). The dentist at the time told me I had several abscesses beginning to form. Hot and cold food absolutely kills me now on my left side.Also 1 or 2 of the farthest back bottom teeth have some type of abscess too. I believe they all had root canals, but I’m not positive.I am on disability and I did not and do not have the money to fix this problem. It was never painful before, but now I am close to being in agony and I am eating Advil and Tylenol with Codeine to try and keep the pain at bay. It’s not working, but it’s better than nothing.My friend told me if I didn’t take care of it…I could die from sepsis from the abscesses. I have not been feeling well and now my jaw feels hot and it’s getting harder to chew or put anything hot or cold in my mouth as the pain is unbearable if I do.I know I must see a dentist, the money is the problem.Is it true I could die from leaving the abscess too long? I’m terrified I will lose my teeth. I also have tiny abscesses on the other side too (the dentist told me that about 7 months ago). All of these abscesses started after I had all my mercury fillings taken out and the dentist at the time, knew I had an acidity problem.but I spent thousands of dollars to get my whole mouth fixed. My new dentist said it was wrong for that dentist to have put the white fillings in because there is erosion at the gumline which he feels has started the infections.I live in Canada. I don’t know what to do as I am sure this will cost several thousands of dollars again.The pain is getting much worse, I’m afraid I could die, afraid I’ll lose my teeth (I do take care of them other than this).Can I die from this or is it just that it’s painful and I have to deal with the pain until I get enough money?My jawbone itself is beginning to be very painful and it’s hard for me to even open my mouth or move my jaw back and forth. It almost feels like I have a fever in my jawbone, as weird as that may sound. The pain has just started to shoot down from my jaw down through my glands in my throat on the same side as the abscesses.If you are a professional, can you please help me to know just how serious this is? Is it just pain or an infection that can cause me great harm?Thank you very much for your advise.

A: If you do not take care of this problem you will 100% for sure lose you teeth. I know, I did not take care of my teeth for years and I have lost 4 teeth. I would get root canals, not get the crowns and then be in pain all over again. The abscess is dangerous. Quite possibly fatal. I don’t know what dental is like in Canada, I thought it was better than in the USA. You absolutely must find a dentist and get these problems fixed. It has taken me 3 years and my dentist has prioritized my problems and has fixed them according to my insurance. It is a long process but I have not been in pain for over a year. You must take care of your teeth. They are the only teeth you have.

Can anyone help? Freaking out!?

Q: So earlier I asked about my symptoms, and got the same response from everyone. You have a tooth abscess! Well, I was researching it and realized that it could be deadly. The infection can spread to the jaw bone, throat(causing you to stop breating) or brain(may need brain surgery then or can cause death). I am really worried because I have been ignoring it for quite a few days! The pain is starting to stop, but reading about it i realized this is when it gets even more dangerous! I need to know how many days do I have left until this can get that serious! Also, I am pretty sure it is on my bottom back tooth, however I have mild pain on my top teeth on the same side? What are the chances of it spreading to my brain? Please answer! I can’t get medical attention easily because I live on a college campus and have no car and almost no means of getting by, also i dont really know any local dentists. I can go to the school clinic but dont know how much they can do! Please help!

A: The cases of an abcess killing someone via septicemia or brain infection are usually very progressed cases.I wouldn’t tarry if I were you, but you might have another problem than a tooth abcess. Please don’t let Y!A diagnose you and certainly don’t start freaking out.I’m a BIG ol’ hypochondriac and would NEVER ask a health question on here because I’d think I had Ebola or something :)Anyway, the progressed cases are ones that let it go for months and the people typically had lowered immunities or were immune compromised in the first place due to malnutrition, recent illness or age (either very young or very old).So, in any case, you’re in the safe zone to make it to the dentist ASAP. Even if it’s next week. Try to go tomorrow if you can anyway, just for peace of mind and antibiotics.Actually since you said you’re in college, that leads me to believe that you’re the age for your wisdom teeth to start cutting up. That would definitely explain the pain on both the upper and lower bones. Wisdom teeth (especially those that are impacted) are boogers! They can make you think you have a brain tumor.Good luck and I hope you feel better soon!