Dental abscesses.

By Bertrand Stuart DDS
An abscess is a cavity or swelling filled with pus. There are three types of dental abscesses that resemble each other. It is their point of origin that differentiates them. A gum or gingival abscess is the result of injury to or infection of the surface of the gum tissue. If an infection moves deep into the gum pockets, drainage of pus is blocked and a “gum boil” appears. A periapical abscess refers to a tooth in which the pulp is infected, usually secondary to tooth decay. The affected side of the face will be swollen.
Dental abscesses generally are caused by tooth decay, gum disease, and impacted wisdom teeth. Some people are more prone to infections if they have poor oral hygiene, or have less saliva in the mouth because of taking too many medicines. Good health and nutrition also plays an important role for our defense ability against infections. However, heavy smokers are also at greater risk of developing oral infections.
Pus discharging from the gums may not be painful when there is no pressure buildup. However when the pus is trapped, it forms a “balloon”, and it can be painful. If you should realize that you have an abscess, or begin to feel a slight swelling, you must have it checked by your dentist as soon as possible and have it managed early. Hot salt mouthwashes are particularly useful in the meantime, but smoking will make things worse. If an abscess exists, the pus could spread further and make things worse.
Medicines alone may not work and the pus must be drained at the clinic as soon as possible. This drainage will give you relief immediately. It is absolutely essential to identify the tooth which is causing your infection and you must have it either treated or extracted. Even if an abscess is painless but you do not know it is there, you must never hesitate to seek treatment as early as possible. Keeping abscesses in the mouth is not healthy for you and the bacteria can leak into your bloodstream and be carried to other body organs.
The gum line is in fact an open gateway for bacteria to enter your bloodstream, known as bacteremia. This is why it is so important to keep your teeth as clean as possible, particularly at gum line. Unknowingly minute traces of bacteria do enter our bloodstream everyday from our gums at the gum lines. Under normal circumstances, as these traces are indeed minute, our body defenses protect us enough from their harm and we would never fall ill because of it.
There is direct correlation between gum disease and heart disease and researchers have found that people who have gum disease are twice as likely to develop coronary heart disease. One theory for this is that the bacteria which enter the bloodstream via the gums can travel and infect the already accumulated fat within the coronary artery to damage it further. The heart, and in particular the heart valves, are at risk of infection. Those who have already had their heart valves damaged by rheumatic fever at childhood are at great risk of becoming infected again during life by oral bacteria (S.viridans) and a next attack can cause the fatal condition known as infective endocarditis (I.E.). This re-infection is most unaffordable.
It is now thought that their maintaining the highest standard of daily oral hygiene all-year round is a real life saver. People who have had their heart valves damaged before and visit their dentists for a scale and polish or tooth examination, should have an antibiotic medicine taken orally one hour before hand. Gum disease and abscesses in the mouth should never be tolerated as they can be a good source of bacteria for infecting the heart.
Did you know that your maxillary sinuses exist just above your upper back teeth? The roots of these teeth are pointing upwards towards these sinuses and sometimes their tips even penetrate right into them. If any upper back teeth should develop an infection, the bacteria and pus can spread from its roots to enter into the blood circulatory system.