
Dental Abscess:
Immediate Dental Care for Emergencies
If you have a dental abscess, you’re probably in a lot of pain. Inversely, if you’re in a lot of pain right now, it’s highly possible you might have an abscess.
If you need an “emergency dentist near me,” or you are looking for a “dentist for dental abscess near me,” call our emergency phone line at 402-840-9783. We have an emergency dentist in Lincoln, NE that could see you after normal business hours.
What is an abscess? Our emergency dentist in Lincoln, NE answers.
A dental abscess is one of the most common reasons patients seek emergency dental care. An abscess can cause sudden and severe pain in the jaw, gums, and face, and can often leave your mouth swollen. However, in spite of the pain, abscesses can occur anywhere in a person’s body. They’re a part of your body’s natural response to infection. Dead cells form as your immune system try to fight the infection, causing a buildup of pus. Consequently, the pus keeps the infection from spreading. In most cases, however, the pus also causes pain and swelling as a result of the infection.

Although abscesses are technically your body’s response to help keep you alive and healthy, they’ll continue to grow if untreated. Ultimately, they will burst. If this happens, it will temporarily relieve the pain, but, unfortunately, this allows the infection to spread rapidly. Long-standing or excessive abscesses can be life-threatening. and should be addressed quickly. Thus, helping prevent serious health complications.
In your teeth, abscesses form when a cavity spreads to a tooth’s root,. As a result, infection is allowed to reach the nerve, or pulp, underneath.
Types of Dental Abscesses: Our Emergency Dentist in Lincoln, NE explains…
There are three types of abscesses:
Gingival Abscesses form on gum tissue as a result of poor gum health. It’s sometimes called a peripheral abscess since it doesn’t touch a tooth’s bone structure.
Periodontal Abscesses happen as a result of severely infected teeth. These are often signified by loosened gums and teeth as a consequence of untreated periodontal disease.
Periapical Abscesses are the most dangerous of the three types since they occur at a tooth’s pulp. At this point, the tooth is in danger and may need to be extracted or treated with root canal therapy.
Watch the “Tips for a Severe Toothache (At Home)” Video

Dental Abscess Symptoms: Our Emergency Dentist in Lincoln, NE explains
The primary symptom of an abscess is severe pain. However, there are a few other reported symptoms:
- Spread out pain
- Fever
- Putrid breath
- Swollen jaw, cheeks, and/or neck glands
- Extra red gums
- Bubble/Sore near gums
Treatment to Help Relieve Tooth Abscess Symptoms: Our Emergency Dentist in Lincoln, NE can help…
If you’re in severe pain, it’s quite possible you may have a dental abscess. Therefore, you should make an effort to get to an emergency dentist as soon as possible. But if the pain isn’t enough to convince you, you can leave it to us.
It’s crucial that you do see an emergency dentist as soon as possible if you have an abscess. If you leave your abscess untreated for too long, the tooth may need to be extracted. Even worse, if the infection in your tooth spreads, it can cause serious complications to your overall health. Because of this, early treatment of a dental abscess is essential.
If an abscess is left untreated, the pain will sometimes go away over time. While this may make it seem like it’s getting better, it actually means that the worst is yet to come. It usually means that an abscess has burst on its own, allowing the infection to spread freely.

Treatment of a dental abscess can vary depending upon a few different factors, including what kind of abscess you have. If your abscess is on the surface, your emergency dentist will drain it immediately and use antibiotics to treat the infection. If it’s a periodontal abscess, however, your dentist may prescribe a deep cleaning, which is a common treatment for periodontal disease. As for any dental related abscess, antibiotics alone will not be able to fight the infection. In addition to prescribing antibiotics, your dentist will diagnose the core problem and treat it.

This article was written by Dr. Kimberly Polley.
This Lincoln, NE dentist practices at North location (Northstar Dental) of Nebraska Family Dentistry and focuses on family dentistry. Dr. Kimberly Polley is passionate about teaching children about the importance of dental health and helping parents to prevent and treat any dental conditions.

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