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You are in Dental Problems > Abscessed Tooth
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 |  | | Oral cancer accounts for roughly 9,000 deaths annually (about 3 percent of all cancer-caused deaths). Of all major cancers, oral cancer has the worst five-year survival rate at about 54 percent. Because oral cancer is usually not diagnosed in its early stages, less than half of all oral cancer patients are cured. |
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| An abscessed tooth is one that has become infected. Tooth decay is often the culprit; when tooth decay advances deep into the tooth, it can cause destruction of the pulp, the core of the tooth. When this happens, the pulp gets infected and swollen and pus builds up near the jawbone.
Left untreated, infected pulp can cause more serious problems, including damage to surrounding tissue and bone.
Root canal treatment is the most common form of treatment for an abscessed tooth. Root canal treatment involves removing the infected tissue, cleansing and sealing the canal of the tooth and restoring the tooth with a crown, or cap.
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