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Abscessed Tooth Center - Santa Clara, CA

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Santa Clara, California

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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 Santa Clara

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Santa Clara Hospitals *

O'Connor Hospital
2105 Forest Ave
San Jose, CA 95128
(408)947-2500

Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center
700 Lawrence Expy
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408)851-1000

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
751 S Bascom Ave
San Jose, CA 95128
(408)885-5000

Regional Medical Center of San Jose
225 N Jackson Ave
San Jose, CA 95116
(408)259-5000

El Camino Hospital of Los Gatos
815 Pollard Rd
Los Gatos, CA 95032
(408)378-6131

El Camino Hospital
2500 Grant Rd
Mountain View, CA 94040
(650)940-7000

Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose
2425 Samaritan Dr
San Jose, CA 95124
(408)559-2011

Good Samaritan Hospital Mission Oaks
15891 Los Gatos Almaden Rd
Los Gatos, CA 95032
(408)356-4111

VA Palo Alto Health Care System
3801 Miranda Ave
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650)493-5000

Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center
250 Hospital Pkwy
San Jose, CA 95119
(408)972-7000

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital
725 Welch Rd
Palo Alto, CA 94304
(650)497-8000

Fremont Hospital
39001 Sundale Dr
Fremont, CA 94538
(510)796-1100

Stanford Hospital & Clinics
300 Pasteur Dr
Stanford, CA 94305
(650)723-4000

Menlo Park Surgical Hospital
570 Willow Rd
Menlo Park, CA 94025
(650)324-8500

Washington Hospital
2000 Mowry Ave
Fremont, CA 94538
(510)797-1111

Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Medical Center
1150 Veterans Blvd
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650)299-2000

Sequoia Hospital
170 Alameda de las Pulgas
Redwood City, CA 94062
(650)369-5811

Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center
27400 Hesperian Blvd
Hayward, CA 94545
(510)784-4000

St Rose Hospital
27200 Calaroga Ave
Hayward, CA 94545
(510)264-4000

Livermore Division of the VA Palo Alto Healthcare System
4951 Arroyo Rd
Livermore, CA 94550
(925)373-4700

San Mateo Medical Center
222 W 39th Ave
San Mateo, CA 94403
(650)573-2222

ValleyCare Health System Pleasanton
5555 W Los Positas Blvd
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925)847-3000

Valley Memorial Hospital
1111 E Stanley Blvd
Livermore, CA 94550
(925)447-7000

Eden Medical Center
20103 Lake Chabot Rd
Castro Valley, CA 94546
(510)537-1234

Mills Hospital
100 S San Mateo Dr
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650)696-4400

Dominican Hospital
1555 Soquel Dr
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
(831)462-7700

Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center
2900 Chanticleer Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
(831)477-2200

Alameda County Medical Center Fairmont Campus
15400 Foothill Blvd
San Leandro, CA 94578
(510)895-4200

John George Psychiatric Pavilion
2060 Fairmont Dr
San Leandro, CA 94578
(510)346-7500

Kindred Hospital San Francisco Bay Area
2800 Benedict Dr
San Leandro, CA 94577
(510)357-8300

San Leandro Hospital
13855 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA 94578
(510)357-6500

Mills-Peninsula Health Services
1501 Truesdale Dr
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650)696-5400

San Ramon Regional Medical Center
6001 Norris Canyon Rd
San Ramon, CA 94583
(925)275-9200

Saint Louise Regional Hospital
9400 No Name Uno
Gilroy, CA 95020
(408)848-2000

Watsonville Community Hospital
75 Nielson St
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831)724-4741

Alameda Hospital
2070 Clinton Ave
Alameda, CA 94501
(510)522-3700

Seton Medical Center Coastside
600 Marine Blvd
Moss Beach, CA 94038
(650)563-7100

Kaiser Permanente South San Francisco Medical Center
1200 El Camino Real
South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650)742-2000

Alameda County Medical Center Highland Campus
1411 E 31st St
Oakland, CA 94602
(510)437-4800

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