Dental Abscess
A dental abscess is an umbrella term which is used to describe any type of infection that occurs in the mouth and its surrounding structures.
Tooth abscess: An infection of endodontic origins
- Periapical abscess. The infection aggregates and proliferates near the root tip.
- Endo-perio abscess. Source of infection is primarily of endodontic origins but with secondary periodontal involvement.
Periodontal abscess: An infection of periodontic origins
- Gum abscess. Originating solely from the gums (gingiva).
- Lateral periodontal abscess. Infection stems from the side of the tooth root.
- Periodontitis-associated. Abscess was a result of untreated severe periodontitis.
- Perio-endo abscess. Source of infection is primarily of periodontic origins but with secondary endodontic involvement.
Others types of oral abscesses: Oral infections that do not originate from teeth or periodontium.
- Lip abscess. Yes, your lip can get infected from injuries like lacerations or piercings.
- Tongue abscess. A tongue injury such as a laceration may cause it to get infected.
Gums and Periodontium
Conditions which affect the gums around your teeth and periodontium (supporting soft and hard tissues).
- Dry socket. A painful complication that may occur after an extraction.
- Gum disease. Gingivitis (early stage) and periodontitis (advanced stage).
- Inflamed gums. Red, poofy, and swollen gums that bleed easily.
- Plaque. A sticky biofilm full of bacteria which adheres to the tooth surface.
- Recession. When the gums recede and leaves the root surface exposed.
- Tartar. Calcified or hardened plaque which can only be removed by a dentist. Also known as calculus by dental professionals.
Implant complications
Dental implants are typically made of titanium or zirconia which means that they’re immune to tooth decay. However, that doesn’t mean things can’t go wrong with them.
- Broken crown. Yes, the cap isn’t indestructible and it can chip and fracture like other crowns.
- Healing abutment cap fell off. The healing screw fell off or is loose and about to come off.
- Implant crown fell off. Just the cap of the implant came off.
- Implant crown loose. It’s still attached but you can wobble the crown side to side.
- Implant fell out. The entire body fixture came out of your mouth.
Misc Oral Conditions
These issues may not necessary affect your teeth but may make you think that your teeth have problems. They often present as a toothache while the dentition is actually innocent.
- Ear infection. The facial nerve and trigeminal nerve can run close to the components of the ear. When the ear gets infected or inflamed they can sometimes push on these nerves making you think you’ve a toothache or numbness.
- Sinus tooth pain. A bad sinus infection can sometimes cause unbearable tooth pain. Good news is once it goes away, the teeth will feel better.
Nerve Problems
Orofacial pain problems with the nerves in your mouth and head.
- Headaches
- Cluster
- Migraine
- Tension-type
- Neoplastic
- Aneurysm
- Nerve damage.
- Neuralgias and neuropathies
- Trigeminal neuralgia
- Glossopharyngeal neuralgia
- Sphenopalatine Ganglion neuralgia
- Sluder’s Neuralgia
- Mental nerve neuralgia
- Burning mouth syndrome
- Postherpetic neuralgia
- Persistent idiopathic facial pain (atypical facial pain)
- Atypical odontalgia
Oral Pathology
- Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor
- Ameloblastoma
- Bone cyst
- Central giant cell
- Dentigerous cyst
- Lateral periodontal cyst
- Nasopalatine duct cyst
- Odontogenic fibroma
- Odontogenic myxoma
- Odontogenic keratocyst
- Radicular cyst
- Residual cyst
- Tonsilitis
Restorative Complications
- Crown fell off. Your tooth cap has fallen off your tooth and into your hand.
- Missing filling. The filling pop off while you were eating or flossing.
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD)
The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is the joint which articulates your lower jaw with your skull. Problems with it can affect opening, closing, and chewing with the jaw.
- Bruxism. Teeth grinding at night while you’re sleeping.
- Clenching. Different from grinding in that you only clench your teeth together.
- Internal derangements.
- Myofascial pain. Muscular pain from the TMJ muscles.
Tongue problems
- Fissured tongue.
- Geographic tongue.
- Hairy tongue.
- Macroglossia. Enlarged tongue.
- Median rhomboid glossitis
- Tongue cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma.
- Tongue-tied (Ankyloglossia)
Tooth related conditions
Conditions that affect your tooth directly.
- Dead tooth. Teeth are supposed to be alive but they can die when not taken care of.
- Dying nerve. The nerve can be unhealthy and is about to die soon.
- Exposed nerve. Could be an exposed tooth nerve or exposed dentin, both of which affect the quality of your life. Sensitivity can be debilitating by preventing you from eating the foods and drinks that you like.
- Gum boil. Despite the word gum in it’s name, it is actually an abscess that stems from the tooth. It’s an extension of a periapical abscess.
- Toothache. Tooth pain that may bother you while you’re eating or spontaneously.
- Tooth decay. Cavities that are caused by bacteria.
- Tooth nerve pain. Caused by a cavity or infection that has reached the pulp of the tooth.
- Wisdom teeth pain. Pain from the wisdom teeth is usually a result of pericoronitis.