Jul
An abscessed tooth is one of the most painful tooth infections you can get. It often starts small, as a minor bacterial infection, but can quickly escalate into a significant issue that can result in losing your infected tooth. Caught early enough, your San Francisco, California dentist, can treat an abscessed tooth to relieve pain and prevent tooth loss. Root canals are the go-to treatment for abscessed teeth. If you’re experiencing the pain and discomfort of an oral infection that an abscessed tooth could cause, contact Dr. Terri Nguyen at West Portal Family Dentistry for prompt and effective treatment.
A tooth abscess is a pocket of pus that develops around your tooth due to a bacterial infection. Untreated decay, tooth trauma, and accidental injury are common causes of bacterial infections that can lead to the development of an abscessed tooth. Untreated tooth infections can cause irreparable damage to your teeth, destroying the pulp and weakening the bone structure that holds your tooth in place.
Symptoms of an abscessed tooth include:
An abscessed tooth needs immediate treatment to prevent the infection from spreading and damaging healthy teeth. Through root canal treatment, Dr. Nguyen can provide abscess tooth relief and possibly save your tooth from extraction.
Root canals are designed to repair teeth damaged by decay, infections, or injury, so they don’t have to be extracted. Saving natural teeth will spare you the time and expense of replacing them with prosthetics later down the line. Dr. Nguyen will thoroughly evaluate your teeth and gums to make an accurate diagnosis of your condition to determine if root canal treatment is a viable option for you.
The first step toward treating an abscessed tooth is draining the pus and washing out the area. From there, a root canal can be performed to save the tooth. This entails drilling the tooth to remove all the infected tissue and cleansing and disinfecting the root canals and tooth root. Once the infection has been cleared, Dr. Nguyen will fill the empty tooth chamber and seal it to prevent further infection. A dental crown can then be placed on the tooth to strengthen it and restore its usefulness. With proper care, a tooth restored with root canal treatment can last many years.
Root canals are performed under anesthesia, so you feel no pain during treatment. Working with an experienced root canal dentist like Dr. Terri Nguyen increases your chances of having a positive, successful root canal treatment. To schedule a consultation for a root canal procedure, contact West Portal Family Dentistry, San Francisco, California, today at (415) 604-9292.