Affordable Dental Care for Abscessed Teeth

By Susan Braden

An abscessed tooth is a common problem for many people. It can result in a painful infection in the mouth. Here are some home remedies to help treat the pain of an abscessed tooth.

What is an Abscessed Tooth?

An abscessed tooth usually appears inside your gum tissue, right next to the affected tooth. When an abscess appears, there is a deep-rooted problem within the tooth, such as a deep cavity, which then causes an infection to grow under your gum line. When the infection spreads between your tooth and gum, it creates a pocket or bubble, which protrudes out next to the tooth. It's easy to know if you have an infected tooth because this "abscess" normally proves to be quite painful, as it is stretching the tissue of the gum as well as pushing against the problem tooth.

Home Remedies

After you are on antibiotics to potentially destroy the infection, you can relieve the pressure of your abscess by puncturing the bubble yourself and allowing the liquid to drain. The bubble can be punctured using a sterilized needle or another sharp, sterile object. When the bubble is punctured with the needle or sharp object, the pressure inside it will quickly force the bacterial liquid out. As your abscess is draining, be sure not to swallow any of the liquid. Immediately after the abscess is drained, rinse out your mouth with a cleansing, anti-infection agent. (Hydrogen peroxide works well for this.) Other options which can be used to help clean the abscessed area are a strong mouthwash or a strong salt solution. Gargle your cleansing liquid thoroughly to ensure that the abscess and the puncture are disinfected.

However, the first thing to keep in mind is that the actual bubble you feel inside your gum is not the source of your problem. This bubble abscess is just a symptom of your core oral problem -- which is often an infected tooth! Even if the abscess is relieved, your dentist will still need to address the infection, or otherwise the abscess will quickly return.

The abscess is formed by an infection in your mouth, which is then covered by fluids in your gum tissue next to the compromised tooth. Since the abscess is caused by an infection, the patient should begin taking antibiotics as soon as possible to stop the infection inside. An untreated infection can cause more serious health hazards and can be fatal if untreated. Releasing the infection into the rest of the body before it is treated with antibiotics can also create a very dangerous situation.

After the Pain is Gone

Remember, the bubble you felt was just a result of a deeper problem in the tooth. You can release the pressure of the abscess at home, but if you do not go to a dentist to address the root problem of your tooth, the abscess will come back! If the infection goes untreated, it can pose a threat to your overall health. Normally, a tooth in this condition will require a filling, a root canal, or an extraction of the tooth, all of which need to be performed by a licensed dentist. The need for a dental visit causes many people affected by an abscess to search for affordable dental care.

Affordable dental care can prove to be difficult to find, but it is not impossible. Many affordable dental care plans can reduce the cost of dental work substantially. Also, many dentists will offer discounts to people who do not have insurance to supply more help to patients in financial need.

However, even if there is not a good affordable dental care option in your immediate area, the inward problem of your infected tooth must be addressed. As the actual abscess in your gums can cause a large amount of pain and discomfort, these home remedies can only help treat the pain -- there is still no substitute for treatment by a professional dentist.

Conclusion

Infection in a tooth is not only painful, but may also cause other serious health problems -- in extreme cases the effects of this infection can be fatal. It is imperative not only to treat the abscess on the outside of your tooth, but to get your tooth itself treated as soon as possible.