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Abscessed Tooth Center - Sioux Falls, SD

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Sioux Falls, South Dakota

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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 Sioux Falls

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Sioux Falls Hospitals *

Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center
800 E 21st St
Sioux Falls, SD 57117
(605)322-8000

Select Specialty Hospital Sioux Falls
800 E 21st St
Sioux Falls, SD 57105
(605)322-3500

Sioux Falls VA Medical Center
2501 W 22nd St
Sioux Falls, SD 57105
(605)336-3230

Children's Care Hospital & School
2501 W 26th St
Sioux Falls, SD 57105
(605)782-2300

Sanford USD Medical Center
1305 W 18th St
Sioux Falls, SD 57105
(605)333-1000

Heart Hospital of South Dakota
4500 W 69th St
Sioux Falls, SD 57108
(605)977-7000

Dells Area Health Center
909 N Iowa St
Dell Rapids, SD 57022
(605)428-5431

Canton-Inwood Memorial Hospital
440 N Hiawatha Dr
Canton, SD 57013
(605)987-2621

Sanford Hospital Luverne
1600 N Kniss Ave
Luverne, MN 56156
(507)283-2321

Merrill Pioneer Community Hospital
801 S Greene St
Rock Rapids, IA 51246
(712)472-2591

Pioneer Memorial Hospital
315 N Washington St
Viborg, SD 57070
(605)326-5161

Hegg Memorial Health Center
1202 21st Ave
Rock Valley, IA 51247
(712)476-8000

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