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Abscessed Tooth Center - Providence, RI

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Providence, Rhode Island

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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

Toothache »

What is a toothache?

"Toothache" usually refers to pain around the teeth or jaws primarily as a result of a dental condition. In most instances, toothaches are caused by tooth problems, such as a dental cavity, a cracked tooth, an exposed tooth root, or gum disease. However, disorders of the jaw joint (temporo-mandibular joint) can also cause pain that is referred to as "toothache." The severity of a toothache can range from chronic and mild to sharp and excruciating. The pain may be aggravated by chewing or by cold or heat. A thorough oral examination, which includes dental X-rays, can help determine whether the toothache is coming from a tooth or jaw problem and the cause.

Sometimes, a toothache may be caused by a problem not originating from a tooth or the jaw. Pain around the teeth and the jaws can be symptoms of diseases of the heart (such as angina or heart attack), ears (such as inner or external ear infections), and sinuses (air passages of the cheekb...

Emergency Contact for Providence

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Providence Hospitals *

Hasbro Children's Hospital
593 Eddy St
Providence, RI 02903
(401)444-4000

Rhode Island Hospital
593 Eddy St
Providence, RI 02903
(401)444-4000

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island
101 Dudley St
Providence, RI 02905
(401)274-1100

Southern New England Rehabilitation Center
21 Peace St
Providence, RI 02907
(401)456-3000

St Joseph Health Services
21 Peace St
Providence, RI 02907
(401)456-3000

Providence VA Medical Center
830 Chalkstone Ave
Providence, RI 02908
(401)273-7100

Roger Williams Medical Center
825 Chalkstone Ave
Providence, RI 02908
(401)456-2000

Butler Hospital
345 Blackstone Blvd
Providence, RI 02906
(401)455-6200

The Miriam Hospital
164 Summit Ave
Providence, RI 02906
(401)793-2500

Bradley Hospital
1011 Veterans Memorial Pkwy
Riverside, RI 02915
(401)432-1000

Our Lady of Fatima Hospital
200 High Service Ave
North Providence, RI 02904
(401)456-3000

Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island
111 Brewster St
Pawtucket, RI 02860
(401)729-2000

Eleanor Slater Hospital Pastore Center
111 Howard Ave
Cranston, RI 02920
(401)462-3085

Arbour-Fuller Hospital
200 May St
South Attleboro, MA 02703
(508)761-8500

Kent Hospital
455 Tollgate Rd
Warwick, RI 02886
(401)737-7000

Sturdy Memorial Hospital
211 Park St
Attleboro, MA 02703
(508)222-5200

Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island
116 Eddie Dowling Hwy
North Smithfield, RI 02896
(401)766-0800

Landmark Medical Center
115 Cass Ave
Woonsocket, RI 02895
(401)769-4100

Saint Anne's Hospital
795 Middle St
Fall River, MA 02721
(508)674-5600

Charlton Memorial Hospital
363 Highland Ave
Fall River, MA 02720
(508)679-3131

Taunton State Hospital
60 Hodges Ave
Taunton, MA 02780
(508)977-3000

Morton Hospital & Medical Center
88 Washington St
Taunton, MA 02780
(508)828-7000

Eleanor Slater Hospital Zambarano Unit
2090 Wallum Lake Rd
Pascoag, RI 02859
(401)567-5400

Milford Regional Medical Center
14 Prospect St
Milford, MA 01757
(508)473-1190

Newport Hospital
11 Friendship St
Newport, RI 02840
(401)846-6400

Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton
940 Belmont St
Brockton, MA 02301
(508)583-4500

New Bedford Rehabilitation Hospital
4499 Acushnet Ave
New Bedford, MA 02745
(508)995-6900

Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton
909 Sumner St
Stoughton, MA 02072
(781)297-8411

Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center
235 N Pearl St
Brockton, MA 02301
(508)427-3000

Day Kimball Hospital
320 Pomfret St
Putnam, CT 06260
(860)928-6541

Hubbard Regional Hospital
340 Thompson Rd
Webster, MA 01570
(508)943-2600

New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center
150 York St
Stoughton, MA 02072
(781)344-0600

South County Hospital
100 Kenyon Ave
Wakefield, RI 02879
(401)782-8000

Caritas Norwood Hospital
800 Washington St
Norwood, MA 02062
(781)769-4000

St Luke's Hospital
101 Page St
New Bedford, MA 02740
(508)997-1515

Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital
680 Centre St
Brockton, MA 02302
(508)941-7000

Westwood Lodge Hospital
45 Clapboardtree St
Westwood, MA 02090
(781)762-7764

Massachusetts Hospital School
3 Randolph St
Canton, MA 02021
(781)828-2440

Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree
2001 Washington St
Braintree, MA 02184
(781)848-2600

Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick
67 Union St
Natick, MA 01760
(508)650-7630

MetroWest Medical Center Framingham Union Hospital
115 Lincoln St
Framingham, MA 01702
(508)383-1000

MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital
67 Union St
Natick, MA 01760
(508)650-7000

Whittier Rehabilitation Hospital Westborough
150 Flanders Rd
Westborough, MA 01581
(508)870-2222

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham
148 Chestnut St
Needham, MA 02492
(781)453-3000

Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital
250 Pond St
Braintree, MA 02184
(781)848-5353

VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus
1400 VFW Pkwy
West Roxbury, MA 02132
(617)323-7700

South Shore Hospital
55 Fogg Rd
Weymouth, MA 02190
(781)340-8000

Milton Hospital
92 Highland St
Milton, MA 02186
(617)696-4600

Westborough State Hospital
288 Lyman St
Westborough, MA 01581
(508)616-2100

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