In keeping with my purpose of ensuring patients understand what their dentist is talking about I thought I would give a brief definition of abscessed tooth.

An abscess is an accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. With regards to dentistry an abscess is a painful infection at the root of the tooth or between the gum and the tooth. This is usually caused by severe decay but can also be caused by trauma such as breaking a tooth.

The most obvious, to the patient, symptom of a tooth abscess is a severe and continuous toothache. Other symptoms may include a fever, pain when chewing and redness or swelling on the gums.