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FAQ: Abcess

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Question:
If a molar has an abscess must it be pulled? Why can't a root canal be done and the tooth capped if the abscess has been cured with antibiotics? ...Visitor from FL

Answer:
An abscess is one of the final stages of an organized inflammatory result to a pathogen.

This means that the blood cells that fight infection have walled off the invading foriegn bodies and is keeping it from spreading through out the body.

The abscess may come from the nerve due to decay or trauma (Periapical Abscess), this is where a root canal would help, by removing the pulp tissue and the bacteria causing the problem. The location of this abscess would be at the root tip or base of the tooth.

Another type of abscess can arise from the gum tissue. This is called a Periodontal Abscess and will be located on the side of the tooth. This type of abscess may destroy too much supporting bone for the tooth to stay in the mouth, therefore leading to an extraction.

A combination of both of these may exist. Treatment for a combination would consist of a root canal and a surgery to remove the abscess from the bone and grow new bone back in the site.

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