When tooth decay goes without timely professional treatment, the implications to your oral health could be profound. As time goes on, the bacterial presence can invade the root. When this happens, the infection could cause a pocket of infection to develop in your gums.
One of the early symptoms of an infectious abscess forming is a toothache and a feeling of pressure or pain in the gums. For a tooth in this condition, you need to seek professional care at Artistic Dentistry as soon as possible. The longer you delay, the more you risk the infection reaching your blood stream.
If an abscess is severe and a significant amount of the tooth has been compromised, Dr. Amir Nikraz might advocate a surgical extraction.
This level of oral surgery may require full sedation. Afterward you’ll still feel some lingering effects of the sedative, so you’ll need someone to drive you home.
Dr. Amir Nikraz will suture your gums after the abscess and any infected tissues have been removed. It’s also likely that he will prescribe antibiotics to treat any lingering infection in your blood stream. This might also include taking pain medication to keep you comfortable while healing.
The incision site might bleed a little for a few days after the extraction. You can control the bleeding by lightly biting down on some rolled-up sterile gauze. Once the bleeding stops, you can lightly rinse your mouth with lukewarm saltwater.
While your gums are healing, you should avoid chewing food on that side of your mouth. You shouldn’t drink through a straw as the suction can pull blood clots loose.
If you live in the San Clemente, California, area and you have a toothache or general pain in your gums, you should call 949-366-1177 to seek treatment at Artistic Dentistry.