Symptoms of an Infected Tooth

An infected tooth (also known as an abscessed tooth) is a serious dental health problem. Most of the time, people latch onto the pain of an infected tooth as being the main symptom. But just pain isn’t the only indicator of an infected tooth–and sometimes an infected tooth might not evidence much pain at all. So it’s important to pay attention to the nature of the pain and watch for other symptoms, too, including:

• Sensitivity to heat, cold, and pressure causing lingering pain
• Pain so intense it wakes you at night, keeps you from sleeping, or interferes with your daily routine
• Chronic bad breath or foul taste in the mouth
• Fever and flu-like symptoms
• Localized heat around a particular tooth
• Pimple on the gums that may drain pus
• Tooth that turns dark

These are some of the most common symptoms of infected teeth. If you have some or all of these, you likely have an infected tooth.

Is an Infected Tooth an Emergency?

An infected tooth can certainly feel like an emergency, and it can be. An infected tooth can have fatal complications, so it’s best to take it seriously. Do not ignore the symptoms of an infected tooth.

If you do feel like you want to get emergency treatment for your infected tooth, it’s best to get treatment from a dentist. At Oasis Dental Arts, we are here for you. Please call  and we’ll call you back within a half hour to help you get optimal care.

Go to the emergency room only if you or your loved one is experiencing serious symptoms that might indicate life-threatening complications. Otherwise, a dentist is the best option for an infected tooth. At the emergency room, they may not try to save the tooth, or they may not even try to treat it, just giving you pain medication and antibiotics.

How Root Canal Therapy Works

In an infected tooth, bacteria have penetrated the interior of the tooth. There, sheltered from your toothbrush, mouthwash, and saliva, the bacteria are growing in large numbers, killing and displacing your tooth nerve and other tissues.

In root canal therapy, we open up the tooth and remove the infected material and the rest of the tooth pulp. Then we fill the tooth with inert material that can support the tooth but is resistant to infection. We may add metal posts or other fortification. Then the tooth is closed up, often with a dental crown that provides an attractive, sturdy exterior.

In modern root canal therapy, you’ll be numbed through the entire procedure so you’ll feel minimal discomfort, if any. After the procedure, the discomfort isn’t usually any worse than what you felt before the procedure, and in a day or two it should be significantly less.

Should I Save a Tooth or Replace It?

When considering root canal therapy, many people wonder whether they shouldn’t just have the tooth extracted and replace it with a dental implant. This is a difficult decision, and recommendations will have to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Both root canal therapy and dental implants are very successful treatments. They have high success rates and can give results that last for years, even decades or a lifetime.

Do You Need Root Canal Therapy?

Are you in need of a root canal in Scripps Ranch? If so, please call (858) 271-1010 today for an appointment with Dr. Ramin Goshtasbi at Oasis Dental Arts.