Bad breath is a common occurrence for many American adults. You probably know that if you brush and floss your teeth regularly, you can minimize the chance you have bad breath. Drinking a lot of water also helps you get rid of bad breath bacteria. What happens if you notice your bad breath is getting worse? You may have an abscess or an infection.
What Is an Abscess?
Infections and abscesses are related. If you have an infection, it means that you have a lot of bacteria in one area. Your body has a built-in bacteria-fighting engine, as your immune system is designed to get rid of infections. When your body detects an infection, it immediately sends bacteriophages (white blood cells) to kill the infection. It is those white blood cells that create the white or yellow pus you might be familiar with. In an abscess, the white blood cells that are fighting the infection create a pocket in your body to fight off the bacteria. Abscesses can happen commonly throughout your body, including your mouth.
Signs Of an Abscess
One of the most common signs of an abscess is a bad taste in your mouth or bad breath. These signs of an abscess are very common when your body is fighting an infection. There are other signs of an abscess as well. You may be experiencing pain, especially in the area where the infection is. You might find it difficult to eat or drink due to the pain or discomfort. You can run a low-grade fever with an infection in your mouth as well. You might notice you have a bump in your mouth that is growing larger as the abscess fills with pus.
What Should I Do?
If you think you may have an infection in your mouth, you will need to call our office right away so we can make an appointment for you with one of our dentists. Abscesses can become serious and lead to tooth loss and infections in other areas of your mouth, such as your jawbone. Luckily, with the proper treatment, abscesses can be cured quite easily, and you will feel a lot better shortly.
About • Jacksonville, FL • Ortega Dental At Ortega Dental, we want our patients to maintain healthy, bright, and beautiful smiles! Click here to learn more about us and how we can help you! Ortega Dental, 5911 Timuquana Rd, #202, Jacksonville, FL 32210; 904-752-9522; ortegadentaljax.com; 4/30/2024; Tags: Ortega dentist;
Bad breath is a common occurrence for many American adults. You probably know that if you brush and floss your teeth regularly, you can minimize the chance you have bad breath. Drinking a lot of water also helps you get rid of bad breath bacteria. What happens if you notice your bad breath is getting worse? You may have an abscess or an infection.