04 Jun

Don’t let an Abscess fester in the city of London

There are many emergencies that crop up in the mouth as we wander through life in the city of London, some major, some minor, but there is one that should never be ignored, nor underestimated- an abscess. This generally arises from a lack of oral hygiene that has allowed plaque acids to develop and over time, can lead to gum disease and more seriously for the teeth, decay can set in. These complications make the teeth extremely very exposed to an abscess infection. Some abscesses, may only cause minor problems and pain to the teeth and face, you’ll know when you’ve got one because the face will start to swell, but an abscess quickly starts to poison the bloodstream affecting the heart and the brain and can lead to a life threatening situation. Hence you should treat one as an emergency and seek treatment immediately, from either your dentist if available, or the hospital. The important thing before treating an abscess is to reduce the inflammation and reduce the levels of poisoning of the blood- this is done by strong antibiotics. Only after the problem has been got under control, then your dentist can tackle the problem of the abscess. It can involve a root canal to remove any decay inside the tooth. However, an abscess is like a volcano, they have a habit of erupting again, which may mean the tooth has to be removed.