Abscessed Teeth

If your mouth or jaw is aching, you experience pain while chewing or you have swollen gums, you may have an abscessed tooth. These are just a few of the symptoms that can occur when the pulp (the soft tissue inside the root canal of a tooth) dies, becomes inflamed and goes untreated. The resulting infection in or around the root of the tooth may or may not be painful but any ongoing symptoms should be tended by an endodontist who specializes in treating infected teeth and pulp.

An endodontist will typically treat your abscess with a root canal procedure or endodontic surgery. This involves removing the bacteria from the empty canals within your tooth, cleaning, shaping and filing the root canals, and sealing the empty space. Then, after some time to be certain the treatment was successful, you’ll visit your dentist who will put a crown or other restoration on the tooth to protect and restore it to full function. After the dentist restores it the tooth will continue to function like your natural teeth.

Endodontists are specialists in saving teeth. Learn more about why you should see an endodontist.

Why See An Endodontist

Recommended Educational Videos

Endodontic Surgery

Learn how endodontists perform surgery to treat an abscess or infection and save your tooth.

Visit the AAE YouTube Channel for more patient education videos to learn more about root canals and other endodontic procedures.

Visit the AAE YouTube Channel