A tooth abscess is a collection of pus that forms inside a tooth or its surrounding structures. The abscess itself is one of the later stages of tooth decay, and typically occurs before tooth loss.

An untreated tooth infection can spread to other tissues in your body within weeks or months and lead to potentially life threatening complications. While rare, it is possible for a tooth infection to ...

Without proper treatment, tooth infections can spread to other areas of the body, leading to serious and potentially life threatening complications. A tooth infection, or a tooth abscess, is a ...

The primary treatment for a tooth abscess is always surgical: drainage, root canal, or extraction. Antibiotics alone cannot cure an abscess because they can’t remove the source of the infection.

Sasha Ross, DMD, MS, is a board-certified periodontist who has been with the Cleveland Clinic since 2013. She earned her dental degree from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and completed her ...