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Alveolar Abscess
An alveolar abscess is an abscess located in the
alveolar process of the jaw. An abscess is a well-
defined collection of pus-filled liquid that has escaped
from blood vessels and has been deposited on tissues
or in tissue surfaces. The alveolar process is the
thickened ridge of bone that contains the tooth socket
on bones that bears teeth. An alveolar abscess is
usually caused by an infection extending from a dead
tooth located next to it.
An alveolar abscess
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Symptoms of an alveolar abscess include deep throbbing pain over the area, bad breath,
abnormal appearance of the tongue, headache, thirst, and hot skin. If the amount of pus
that is formed or released is significant, fever and shaking can result. A common sign of
an alveolar abscess is swelling over the area.
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Patients with acute alveolar abscess need
emergency medical treatment, which involves
cutting into the area, draining it of pus, cleaning it,
removing it of diseased bone, and re-packing the
area.
This helps relieve the pressure causing much of
the pain associated with the condition. Aggressive
treatment with antibiotics may be needed. In
chronic cases, the infection can destroy parts of
the jaw and spread.
Initial symptoms may subside but small amounts of pus may continue to be released. Alveolar abscess is
also known as root abscess, dental abscess, dentoalveolar abscess, and root abscess. Alveolar
abscess comes from the Latin word “alveus” meaning “hollow sac” and the Latin word “abscessus”
meaning “a going away.” Put the words together and you have “hollow sac a going away.”