Let’s say I don’t treat an abscess tooth at all. How long will an abscess tooth stay in your gums before I am in serious trouble? Could it take a year before it does damage. Could it take a week before I see serious infection taking place?
Thanks, David
Dear David,
A tooth with an abscess is an infected tooth and cannot be controlled without medication or treatment. Antibiotics will decrease the infection and can relieve some pain that you may be experiencing; however the infection will blow up again. An abscessed tooth left untreated can cause damage in a short amount of time. There is no time frame as to when an abscessed tooth starts to cause damage. What happens is the bone will eventually die around the tooth causing it to become loose as well as damage the bone around the adjacent teeth. The infection from the tooth also affects your general health and can make you very sick over time. Your treatment options would be to have a root canal done on the tooth eliminating the infection and placing a porcelain crown on the tooth to protect it or have it extracted. We recommend you visit a dentist as soon as possible to get the infection under control and see what they recommend as your treatment options.
Post courtesy of Dr. Kitchen and Dr. Stapley, Mesa Arizona dentists