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Abscessed Tooth Center - Hickory, NC

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Hickory, North Carolina

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Abscessed Tooth

What are the symptoms of an abscessed tooth?

A toothache that is severe and continuous and results in gnawing or throbbing pain or sharp or shooting pain are common symptoms of an abscessed tooth. Other symptoms may include:

What does an abscessed tooth look like?
  • Fever
  • Pain when chewing
  • Sensitivity of the teeth to hot or cold
  • Bitter taste in the mouth
  • Foul smell to the breath
  • Swollen neck glands
  • General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling
  • Redness and swelling of the gums
  • Swollen area of the upper or lower jaw
  • An open, draining sore on the side of the gum

If the root of the tooth dies as a result of infection, the toothache may stop. However, this doesn't mean the infection has healed; the infection remains active and continues to spread and destroy tissue. Therefore, if you experience any of the above listed symptoms, it is important to see a dentist even if the pain subsides.

How is an abscessed tooth diagnosed?

Your dentist will probe your teeth with a dental instrument. If you have an abscessed tooth, you will feel pain when the tooth is tapped by your dentist's probe. Your dentist will also ask you if your pain increases when you bite down or when you close your mouth tightly. In addition, your dentist may suspect an abscessed tooth because your gums may be swollen and red.

Your dentist may also take X-rays to look for erosion of the bone around the abscess.

How is an abscessed tooth treated?

Strategies to eliminate the infection, preserve the tooth, and prevent complications are the goals of treatment for an abscessed tooth.

To eliminate infec...

Recommended Reading Related to Abscessed Tooth

Problems With Dental Fillings »

Introduction

Tooth sensitivity following placement of a filling is fairly common. A tooth may be sensitive to pressure, air, sweet foods, or temperature. Usually, the sensitivity resolves on its own within a few weeks. During this time, avoid those things that are causing the sensitivity. Pain relievers are generally not required.

Contact your dentist if the sensitivity does not subside within 2 to 4 weeks or if your tooth is extremely sensitive. He or she may recommend you use a desensitizing toothpaste, may apply a desensitizing agent to the tooth, or possibly suggest a root canal procedure.

Pain Around Fillings

There are several explanations for pain around fillings, each resulting from a different cause.

  1. Pain when you bite. With this type of pain, the pain occurs when you bite down. The pain is noticed soon after the anesthesia wears off and continues over time. In this case, the...

Emergency Contact for Hickory

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Hickory Hospitals *

Frye Regional Medical Center
420 N Center St
Hickory, NC 28601
(828)322-6070

Catawba Valley Medical Center
810 Fairgrove Church Rd SE
Hickory, NC 28602
(828)326-3000

Valdese General Hospital
720 Malcolm Blvd
Rutherford College, NC 28671
(828)874-2251

Frye Regional Medical Center Alexander Campus
326 Third St SW
Taylorsville, NC 28681
(828)635-4000

Caldwell Memorial Hospital
321 Mulberry St SW
Lenoir, NC 28645
(828)757-5100

Grace Hospital
2201 S Sterling St
Morganton, NC 28655
(828)580-5000

Broughton Hospital
1000 S Sterling St
Morganton, NC 28655
(828)433-2111

Carolinas Medical Center Lincoln
200 Gamble Dr
Lincolnton, NC 28092
(704)735-3071

Iredell Memorial Hospital
557 Brookdale Dr
Statesville, NC 28687
(704)873-5661

Davis Regional Medical Center
218 Old Mocksville Rd
Statesville, NC 28625
(704)873-0281

Lake Norman Regional Medical Center
171 Fairview Rd
Mooresville, NC 28117
(704)660-4000

Wilkes Regional Medical Center
1370 West D St
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
(336)651-8100

Cleveland Regional Medical Center
201 E Grover St
Shelby, NC 28150
(704)487-3000

Kings Mountain Hospital
706 W Kings St
Kings Mountain, NC 28086
(704)739-3601

Gaston Memorial Hospital
2525 Court Dr
Gastonia, NC 28054
(704)834-2000

Blowing Rock Hospital
418 Chestnut Dr
Blowing Rock, NC 28605
(828)295-3136

Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville
10030 Gilead Rd
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704)316-4000

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