There’s nothing more disconcerting than sitting in a doctor’s office or dentist chair to hear a prognosis that goes completely over your head. It makes every situation seem that much scarier. The friendly, knowledgeable team at Dr. Robert Petrtyl's dental office always does their best to educate clients so every visit is as comfortable as possible. The Cincinnati-based dental practice has over 30 years of experience in restorative dentistry, tooth extraction, and teeth cleaning. They’ve seen and remedied all kinds of oral-related issues, and they know for most patients, understanding the main issue is important. They also have a computerized patient education program that explains in common language most dental treatments.

Endodontic abscess is a term you might hear at the dentist’s office if you’ve recently experienced trauma resulting in food or debris embedded deep into your gums, decay such as a cavity, or through a deep gap between the teeth and gums. At its core, an endodontic abscess is a pocket of pus that forms within the jawbone right at the tip of a tooth’s root. Your body forms this abscess in an effort to fight bacterial infections.

The primary symptom you’ll experience if you have an endodontic abscess is throbbing pain that simply will not go away. In early stages, your tooth may be sensitive while chewing or to heat. Over time, as the abscess goes unchecked, you may develop a fever. If the abscess ruptures, you’ll experience a very foul taste and smell in your mouth.

Once diagnosed by a dentist, an endodontic abscess will need to be drained and any infected nerves will need to be removed from the tooth canal. This common procedure is known as a root canal. In situations where the tooth cannot be saved, the infected tooth may need to be extracted to ensure the source of the problem is gone.

If you’re experiencing a throbbing toothache or think you may have an abscess on your gums, call Dr. Robert Petrtyl today at (513) 554-4657, or visit their website to schedule an appointment.