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Abscessed Tooth Center - Westminster, CO

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Westminster, Colorado

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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 Westminster

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Westminster Hospitals *

St Anthony North Hospital
2551 W 84th Ave
Westminster, CO 80031
(303)426-2151

North Suburban Medical Center
9191 Grant St
Thornton, CO 80229
(303)451-7800

North Valley Hospital
8451 Pearl St
Thornton, CO 80229
(303)288-3000

Exempla Lutheran Medical Center
8300 W 38th Ave
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(303)425-4500

Exempla West Pines Hospital
3400 Lutheran Pkwy
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(303)467-4000

Centennial Peaks Hospital
2255 S 88th St
Louisville, CO 80027
(303)673-9990

Exempla Good Samaritan Medical Center
200 Exempla Cir
Lafayette, CO 80026
(303)689-4000

Avista Adventist Hospital
100 Health Park Dr
Louisville, CO 80027
(303)673-1000

St Anthony Central Hospital
4231 W 16th Ave
Denver, CO 80204
(303)629-3511

Colorado Acute Hospital
1601 N Lowell Blvd
Denver, CO 80204
(303)264-6900

Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital
1835 Franklin St
Denver, CO 80218
(303)837-7111

Kindred Hospital Denver
1920 High St
Denver, CO 80218
(303)320-5871

Presbyterian St Luke's Medical Center
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
(303)839-6000

Select Specialty Hospital Denver
1719 E 19th Ave
Denver, CO 80218
(303)563-3700

Denver Health Medical Center
777 Bannock St
Denver, CO 80204
(303)436-6000

National Jewish Medical and Research Center
1400 Jackson St
Denver, CO 80206
(800)652-9555

Denver VA Medical Center
1055 Clermont St
Denver, CO 80220
(303)399-8020

University of Colorado Hospital Denver
4200 E Nineth Ave
Denver, CO 80262
(303)372-0000

Rose Medical Center
4567 E Nineth Ave
Denver, CO 80220
(303)320-2121

University of Colorado Hospital Aurora Anschutz Medical Campus
12605 E 16th Ave
Aurora, CO 80010
(303)372-0000

Porter Adventist Hospital
2525 S Downing St
Denver, CO 80210
(303)778-1955

Select Specialty Hospital Denver South
2525 S Downing St
Denver, CO 80210
(303)765-6576

The Children's Hospital
13123 E 16th Ave
Aurora, CO 80045
(720)777-1234

Boulder Community Foothills Hospital
4747 Arapahoe Ave
Boulder, CO 80303
(720)854-7000

Craig Hospital
3425 S Clarkson St
Englewood, CO 80113
(303)789-8000

Platte Valley Medical Center
1600 Prairie Center Pkwy
Brighton, CO 80601
(303)498-1600

Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital
900 Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80011
(303)367-1166

Swedish Medical Center
501 E Hampden Ave
Englewood, CO 80113
(303)788-5000

The Medical Center of Aurora North Campus
700 Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80011
(303)695-2600

Triumph Hospital Aurora
700 Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80011
(720)857-8333

Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan
3520 W Oxford Ave
Denver, CO 80236
(303)761-0220

The Medical Center of Aurora South Campus
1501 S Potomac St
Aurora, CO 80012
(303)695-2600

Boulder Community Hospital
1100 Balsam Ave
Boulder, CO 80301
(303)440-2273

Littleton Adventist Hospital
7700 S Broadway
Littleton, CO 80122
(303)730-8900

Centennial Medical Plaza
14200 E Arapahoe Rd
Centennial, CO 80112
(303)699-3000

Highlands Behavioral Health System
8565 S Poplar Way
Littleton, CO 80130
(720)348-2800

Longmont United Hospital
1950 Mountain View Ave
Longmont, CO 80501
(303)651-5111

Sky Ridge Medical Center
10101 RidgeGate Pkwy
Lone Tree, CO 80124
(720)225-1000

Parker Adventist Hospital
9395 Crown Crest Blvd
Parker, CO 80138
(303)269-4000

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