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 ...

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 ...

A gum abscess is a pocket of infection in the gums or the space between the teeth and the gums. Bacteria may reach the area due to a dental abscess or another oral hygiene issue, such as periodontitis ...

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.