Where the Pain Comes from When You Have an Abscess

In order to understand why a tooth abscess is so painful, you need to understand first what causes the throbbing pain. This occurs when bacteria invade the inside of your tooth, particularly the dental pulp. You know what’s in the pulp?

Blood vessels, connective tissues and nerves. The bacteria emit toxins which attack the pulp. In response, the pain receptors are activated to flash out neon signs to your brain that something is very wrong with this part of the body.

 

When to See a Dentist?

For those who have experienced toothache from an abscess, they would probably understand that it takes no further motivation to go see a dentist. The pain is so intense that they can’t even sleep, eat, and even think.

The pain level may be similar but they a really are not. There are some factors to consider such as the type of bacteria, the gravity of the infection/invasion, and the body’s immunity.

The problem is the nerves in our dental pulp don’t respond to any other stimuli and the only thing it knows is how to trigger the pain receptors. The tooth also doesn’t respond to pain much like the rest of our body because of the restricted blood supply.

What’s the Appropriate Treatment for a Dental Abscess?

For tooth abscess, an immediate root canal is not recommended, which is a good thing because the procedure can be expensive. Some studies needed to be conducted to determine the root cause of the problem.

We may recommend a crown, pulling it out, adjusting the bite, or a filling. The important thing is to reduce the swelling at first, so we can proceed with the rest of the treatment.

Do you have a tooth abscess? Anti-pain medications may alleviate the pain temporarily, but the best thing is to visit our clinic for checkups and treatment.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at (210) 598-8933 today.

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