A dental abscess is a pocket of pus caused by a bacterial infection.
Abscess can occur in different regions of the tooth and for different reasons. A periapical abscess occurs at the tip of the root, while a periodontal abscess develops in the tissue near the tooth, in the gingiva, or in the alveolar bone.
A periapical dental abscess usually occurs due to untreated dental caries, injury, or previous dental surgery.
Dentists treat the tooth abscess by draining it and eliminating the infection; they may be able to save the tooth with root canal treatment, but in some cases it may need to be extracted. An untreated dental abscess can lead to serious, potentially even life-threatening complications, especially in patients with cancer, diabetes, or a compromised immune system in general.
