When you hear your dental care provider say that your child has an abscessed tooth, we often hear from parents of young children…What is an abscessed tooth?

When you see a lump or bubble around the gum tissue in your child’s mouth that means he or she has a tooth that has been infected.

Most commonly an abscess is caused by

• Extensive tooth decay
• Trauma to the tooth

An abscess is a bacterial infection that affects the supporting structures of a tooth. Pus filled bubble  is formed when pulp death occurs due to infected blood vessels, nerves and connective tissues.

Most common symptoms of an abscess are

• Pain
• Lump or bump in the gums
• Sometimes hay fever

Untreated abscess can lead to serious infections affecting the surrounding tissues, teeth and the entire oral cavity.

Treatment of an abscessed tooth involves.

• Antibiotics to treat the infection
• draining the pus
• Root canal / pulpectomy if the abscess is due to trauma
• Extraction of primary tooth when unable to save.

Here at Pediatric Dental Center Dr.O’Riordan and Dr.Shah will evaluate your child’s  tooth based on clinical and radiographic diagnosis and treatment plan as needed. We are very thorough in explaining to our patients the treatment needed for an abscessed tooth.

Feel free to call us any time with any questions.