Dental Abscess and Bone Loss: Symptoms, Treatments, Prevention 2023

A tooth abscess is a pocket of pus that's caused by a bacterial infection.

The abscess can occur in different regions of the tooth and the causes may vary,  however, an abscess usually occurs as a result of an untreated dental cavity, an injury, or prior dental work.

Bone loss is a common consequence of loss of teeth that have not been replaced, periodontitis, and other infections. If you suffer from bone loss and want to know how to recover your smile or how to avoid future complications, don’t worry, we’ll tell you all about it.

Abscessed Tooth

An abscessed tooth is a painful infection at the root of a tooth or between the gum and a tooth.

This condition is commonly caused by severe tooth decay, trauma to the tooth, gingivitis, or gum disease.

All of these can cause openings in the tooth enamel, allowing bacteria to infect the center of the tooth; this infection can be spread from the root of the tooth to the bones supporting the tooth.

An abscess that isn't treated can form a fluid-filled bubble called a cyst, which is a thin, fluid-filled sac that can appear on the gum tissue, roof of the mouth, or lips and can also be very painful.

If lately, you’ve presented symptoms such as pain while chewing, sensitivity to hot or cold, swollen neck glands, redness and swelling of the gums ever, or fever, we recommend you schedule an appointment with the dentist to evaluate the health of your teeth.

These tests may include lab tests to allow the dentist to know what kind of bacteria is causing the infection and x-rays to look for the erosion of the bone around the abscess and verify if the infection has not been spread somewhere else.

It’s important to mention that abscesses can form as quickly as 1 or 2 days after the start of an infection. According to dentists, there are two types of dental abscesses:

• Periodontal abscess: this is a result of an infection in the space between the tooth and gum. Food and debris get caught between the gum and tooth, causing the infection. Severe periodontal disease occurs when bacteria build up in the bone under the gums.
• Periapical abscess: happens inside the tooth. This infection occurs when a tooth’s nerve is dead or dying, and it shows at the tip of the tooth’s root. It then spreads to the surrounding bone.

Can an Abscessed Tooth Be Eliminated?

Dental abscesses do not go away on their own, and it is very important to treat the infection.

The first way to eliminate the infection is by draining the abscess through a procedure known as root canal therapy. Also, the tooth may be extracted, allowing drainage through the socket, and the third way to drain the abscess would be by incision into the swollen gum tissue.

The best way of prevention is to take good care of your oral health by brushing your teeth at least twice a day, flossing on a daily basis, and visiting the dentist for regular checkups. 

A dental abscess is always a serious matter, leaving a tooth abscess untreated can lead to serious complications, so it is very important to contact a specialist in the matter. 

Preventing dental abscesses

Following a good dental care routine is the perfect option to reduce the risk of developing a dental abscess.  Learn 10 Awesome Oral Care Tips to keep your teeth and gums as healthy as possible.  

About Bone Loss

Bone loss is a silent condition, it has no symptoms and happens slowly over the years.  Bone is a hard and durable tissue that grows and changes throughout our life.  In childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, new bone formation outpaces the removal of old bone. As we age, however, that process reverses.

Besides aging, several factors can contribute to bone loss in the mouth, for example, periodontal disease and other mouth infections. 

When one tooth or more teeth are missing, chewing cannot take place in that empty area because there is no opposing tooth to chew the food against. This means that the bone will no longer be stimulated by the actions of chewing. As a result, the bone level will begin to shrink or resort.

Dentists say it is possible to lose up to 25% of the bone in one year after the tooth has gone missing.

How Can I Prevent Bone Loss? 

The best way to prevention of Bone Loss is by giving our jawbone a replacement tooth with a root that can apply the same or similar pressure as our natural teeth.

This can be done with dental implants weeks after an extraction, depending on the patient’s condition. According to dentists, a single-tooth implant provides a chewing power of 99% of natural bite force. 

Zygomatic Dental Implants are now a new trend among people suffering from bone loss or poor bone structure. To know more about this new procedure that avoids grafting and sinus lift procedures, click here!

Replacing teeth with full or partial dentures doesn’t solve the problem as dentures exert a very small amount of chewing pressure on the bone compared to natural teeth, as low as 10% or less.

Sani Dental Group at Molar City

Sani Dental Group is not only the largest dental group in Los Algodones but is one of the largest in Mexico as well.

We have more than 30 dentists and specialists dedicated to treating all your dental needs or solving any kind of doubts you may have about a dental procedure. Plus, we have a wide variety of treatments that will help you recover your smile at affordable prices.

We invite you to check our patient's reviews, dentists' certifications, and price list, and you'll see that Sani Dental Group is the perfect place for you.

Give us a call! Ask our team of patient coordinators any doubts you may have, they will give you the information you need, plus our amazing promotions for our patients! Don’t miss this chance, we’re waiting for you.