Dental Abscess Treatment
Teaneck, NJ & Roselle, NJ
 If you’re dealing with a swollen face, throbbing pain, or a pimple-like bump on your gum, you may have a dental abscess and you need to be seen quickly. RJ Dental provides same-day dental abscess treatment in Teaneck and Roselle, NJ for patients who can’t wait. An abscess is a pocket of infection that won’t resolve on its own, and the longer it sits the more it can spread into surrounding tissue, jawbone, and beyond.
We get how scary this feels. The pain is often the worst dental pain people experience, the swelling can change the shape of your face, and it’s hard to know whether you should be at the ER or in a dental chair. In most cases the answer is the dental chair, because the source of the infection is the tooth or the gum itself, and only a dentist can address that source. We’ll cover when ER care is the right call further down.
Both emergency dental care for an acute abscess and the definitive treatment that follows can happen at our office. Our team includes an in-house oral surgeon, which means drainage and surgical extraction can be coordinated under one roof instead of bouncing you between facilities. Call our Teaneck office at (551) 369-2001 or our Roselle office at (908) 488-5005 if you suspect you have an abscess today.
On This Page
Understanding a Dental Abscess
 A dental abscess is a pocket of pus caused by a bacterial infection. There are two main types, and they look similar from the outside but start in different places. Knowing which type you have changes the treatment plan.
A periapical abscess starts inside the tooth, at the tip of the root. The most common cause is deep decay or a fracture that lets bacteria reach the tooth’s nerve, where the infection multiplies and pushes out through the bone at the root tip. This is the type most patients picture when they hear the word abscess. Treatment usually means a root canal to clean out the inside of the tooth, or a tooth extraction if the tooth can’t be saved.
A periodontal abscess starts in the gum and bone around the tooth, not inside the tooth itself. It’s tied to gum disease and the deep pockets that form when the gum pulls away from the tooth. Treatment focuses on draining the abscess and addressing the underlying periodontal disease so it doesn’t come back.
Why an Abscess Doesn’t Heal on Its Own
A small percentage of abscesses drain on their own through a fistula, which is a small pimple-like opening on the gum that releases pressure. The pain temporarily eases. That’s a sign the body is trying to relieve pressure, not a sign the infection is gone. The bacteria are still active, the source is still there, and the abscess can flare up again at any time.
Antibiotics often help in the short term by knocking down the bacterial load and reducing swelling. They don’t cure the infection on their own, because they don’t reach the source: the dead nerve tissue inside the tooth, or the gum pocket harboring bacteria. The source has to be physically addressed for the infection to resolve. We cover how that works in the treatment section below.
When to Skip the Dentist and Go to the ER
Most abscesses can be handled at our office with same-day care. A few situations warrant the emergency room first:
- Trouble breathing or swallowing – Swelling that affects your airway is a true emergency and needs hospital evaluation, not a dental office.
- Fever above 101°F or chills – Systemic signs suggest the infection has spread beyond the local area and may need IV antibiotics.
- Swelling that crosses the midline of your face or extends to your eye or neck – Spreading infection into deep facial spaces is a hospital-level concern.
- Severe lethargy, confusion, or a racing heartbeat – These are sepsis warning signs and need ER evaluation immediately.
If none of these apply, our office can almost always see you the same day in either Teaneck or Roselle. Even if you start at the ER, you’ll still need a dentist afterward to address the source. The hospital can stabilize you, but they don’t perform the root canal or extraction that actually resolves the infection.
Your Care Team for Abscess Treatment in NJ
RJ Dental brings four dentists across two offices to abscess care, and the mix of training matters because the right treatment depends on what type of abscess you have and whether the tooth is salvageable. The two dentists most directly involved on the surgical and endodontic side are Dr. Shahin Ghobadi and Dr. Linda Hunponu-Wusu.
Dr. Ghobadi completed a postgraduate Oral Surgery residency at St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and is an active member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, with full background on Dr. Ghobadi’s bio. For an abscess that needs surgical drainage or a difficult extraction, this in-house surgical training matters: most general practices have to refer those cases out, while we can handle them in the same office where you got the consult.
Dr. Hunponu-Wusu earned her DMD at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2006 and continues to take advanced courses in root canal treatment and crowns. Details on Dr. Hunponu-Wusu’s bio. When the abscess source is the tooth’s nerve and the tooth is restorable, root canal therapy is what saves it.
The other two members of our team are Dr. Richard E. Buffong, DMD, FICOI, the practice owner, and Dr. Jeannine Stephenson-Buffong, DMD. They handle initial evaluations, treatment planning, and any restorative work that comes after the infection clears, with details on Dr. Buffong’s bio and Dr. Stephenson-Buffong’s bio.
What to Expect During Abscess Treatment
 The path through abscess care has four stages. Not every patient needs every stage. A small periapical abscess may go straight from evaluation to root canal, while a complex periodontal abscess might involve drainage, antibiotics, and a follow-up visit before definitive treatment.
1. Same-Day Evaluation and Imaging
When you call, we work to get you in the same day at either our Teaneck or Roselle office. The first step is determining which type of abscess you have and where it’s coming from. We use Cone Beam CT imaging when a regular X-ray doesn’t show the full picture, because periapical abscesses can be hard to see on a 2D image when bone destruction is still early. The 3D scan tells us exactly which tooth and which root is involved.
2. Drainage and Immediate Relief
Once we’ve identified the source, draining the abscess gives you fast pressure relief. For a periapical abscess, we usually drain through the tooth itself during the first stage of root canal treatment. We open the tooth, and the infected fluid releases. For a periodontal abscess, we make a small incision in the gum or work through the existing pocket to release the pressure. We fully numb the area first.
3. Antibiotics When They’re Indicated
We don’t prescribe antibiotics for every abscess. The current standard of care reserves them for cases with systemic involvement (fever, swelling beyond the local area), patients with certain medical conditions, or cases where definitive treatment has to be delayed. When antibiotics are appropriate, we typically prescribe a 5- to 7-day course alongside the procedure that addresses the source. Antibiotics are a bridge, not a cure on their own.
4. Definitive Treatment
The definitive treatment depends on whether the tooth can be saved. For a periapical abscess in a restorable tooth, root canal therapy cleans out the infection from inside the tooth and seals it. For a tooth that’s fractured below the gumline, has too little tooth structure left, or has failed prior treatment, extraction is the more reliable option. Periodontal abscesses get a different approach: we drain the abscess and treat the underlying periodontal disease, which usually means scaling and root planing followed by periodontal maintenance on a 3- to 4-month schedule.
Why Treating an Abscess Early Matters
A dental abscess isn’t a problem that gets better with time. It gets bigger, deeper, and harder to treat the longer you leave it. The benefits of treating an abscess at the first sign of trouble are practical, not abstract.
You Keep More of Your Tooth
A small periapical infection caught early is often resolvable with a straightforward root canal. Once the infection has destroyed enough bone or root structure, the same tooth may not be salvageable. Early treatment is the single biggest factor in saving the natural tooth.
Less Treatment, Less Cost, Less Time
Early abscesses typically need fewer appointments, less complex imaging, and lower medication doses than abscesses that have spread. A patient who comes in at day two of pain almost always has fewer appointments ahead than a patient who waits a week.
You Avoid Spread Into Deeper Tissues
Untreated dental infections can extend into the jaw, sinus, neck, and in rare but documented cases, the chest cavity or bloodstream. Most patients never get close to that point because they get treated in time. The risk is real, though, and it’s the reason no responsible dentist tells someone to wait and see with an abscess.
You Stop the Pain
The pain from an abscess is one of the most consistently reported reasons people end up in dental offices and ERs. Drainage usually brings major relief within hours, and definitive treatment closes the door so it doesn’t return.
Why Choose Our Practice for Abscess Care
Most dental offices can manage a simple periapical abscess. What separates RJ Dental for more complex cases is the combination of in-house surgical capability, 3D imaging, and the ability to sequence drainage, definitive treatment, and follow-up restorative work without sending you somewhere else.
Our team includes an in-house oral surgeon, and our offices use Cone Beam CT imaging for evaluation. A periapical abscess that needs both surgical drainage and a difficult extraction can be handled in one office and often in one visit. The same is true for periodontal abscesses where evaluating bone loss is essential to the treatment plan: the 3D scan tells us how much bone is left and whether the tooth is worth saving.
We see our practice as a complete dental home. Patients who come in for an abscess often haven’t seen a dentist in a while, and we use the visit as a starting point for getting back on a regular schedule. After your infection clears, we can transition you into preventive periodontal care if gum health is part of the picture, or coordinate restorative work like crowns and bridges to repair the tooth that was treated.
Both offices serve different geographies. Teaneck handles North Jersey patients near the GW Bridge, and Roselle handles Central Jersey patients near Elizabeth and Linden. You can be seen at whichever office is closer.
Cost and Insurance for Abscess Care
Cost matters, and we’ll be straight with you about it. The price of treating an abscess depends on what the abscess actually requires (drainage alone, drainage plus antibiotics, root canal therapy, surgical extraction, or a combination) and on whether you have a tooth to restore afterward with a crown or filling.
Most dental insurance plans cover a portion of urgent care visits, drainage procedures, root canal therapy, and extractions. We participate with Delta Dental Premier, MetLife, Guardian, Horizon Blue Cross & Blue Shield Traditional, Aetna PPO, United Concordia, and several others, with the full list on our insurance and financing options. We’ll verify your benefits before treatment starts so you know your share in advance.
For patients without insurance, we offer a dental discount plan that brings down the cost of urgent care visits and definitive treatment, and we can set up financing through Sunbit, CareCredit, or LendingPoint. If you’re worried about not being able to afford the full treatment plan, tell us. We’ll always start with what’s needed to get the infection under control, and we can stage longer-term restorative work over time. Cost shouldn’t be the reason you put off care that becomes more expensive the longer you wait.
Schedule Same-Day Care for a Dental Abscess
Don’t wait if you suspect you have an abscess. Call our Teaneck office at (551) 369-2001 or our Roselle office at (908) 488-5005 to be seen the same day. You can also request an appointment online and we’ll reach out promptly. Our Teaneck office is at 865 Teaneck Rd, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Our Roselle office is at 121-125 Chestnut St, Suite 201, Roselle, NJ 07203.
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can I be seen for a suspected dental abscess?
We hold same-day slots at both offices for urgent abscess cases. Call our Teaneck office at (551) 369-2001 or our Roselle office at (908) 488-5005 first thing in the morning for the best chance of getting in the same day. If you’re calling outside our office hours and your symptoms are severe (trouble breathing, high fever, rapidly spreading swelling), the ER is the right next step until we open.
Will treatment for a dental abscess hurt?
Most patients describe the procedure as a relief, not as painful. The pressure from the abscess is what hurts the most, and once we drain it the pressure drops sharply within minutes. We numb the area completely before any drainage or treatment, so you don’t feel the procedure itself. After treatment, mild soreness for a day or two is normal and responds well to over-the-counter pain medication.
Can a dental abscess go away with antibiotics alone?
No, and we want to be direct about this because it’s the most common misunderstanding. Antibiotics can reduce swelling and pain temporarily, but they don’t reach the source: dead nerve tissue inside a tooth or the deep gum pocket harboring bacteria. Patients who treat with antibiotics alone almost always see the abscess return, often within a few weeks. The source has to be physically addressed for the infection to actually resolve.
Will I need a root canal or an extraction?
It depends on whether your tooth can be saved. The deciding factors are how much healthy tooth structure remains, whether the root has fractured, and how much bone has been lost around the tooth. Most teeth with periapical abscesses are candidates for root canal therapy. A tooth that’s broken below the gumline, severely cracked, or has failed a previous root canal usually does better with extraction and a replacement option afterward. We’ll know after the imaging.
How long until I feel better after treatment?
Most patients notice major relief within 24 to 48 hours of drainage. The acute pain typically drops sharply once we release pressure, and any residual soreness fades over the next few days. If antibiotics are part of your plan, you’ll usually feel back to normal by the end of the prescription. If pain or swelling worsens after treatment instead of improving, that’s a sign to call us. It shouldn’t get worse, it should get better.
What happens if I just wait it out?
The infection spreads. In the early stages it stays local to the tooth and surrounding gum. Within days to weeks, it can extend into the jawbone, the sinus (for upper teeth), or the soft tissues of the face and neck. Severe spreading infections can require hospitalization, IV antibiotics, and more aggressive surgery than the original abscess would have needed. Even setting medical risk aside, the cost and complexity of treatment goes up the longer you wait.
How much does dental abscess treatment cost?
We can’t give an accurate number until we see what’s actually going on, because the price depends on which procedures your case requires (drainage, antibiotics, root canal, extraction, or a combination). After the imaging, we’ll walk through your specific treatment plan and the costs at each stage before we proceed. Insurance, our dental discount plan, and financing through Sunbit, CareCredit, or LendingPoint are all options to make care affordable.
Will my dental insurance cover abscess treatment?
Most dental insurance plans cover a portion of urgent abscess care, including drainage, root canal therapy, and extractions. The exact percentage depends on your plan and where you are in your annual benefits cycle, since most plans reset on January 1. We participate with most major plans and verify your benefits before treatment so you know your out-of-pocket share in advance.
Can a dental abscess be life-threatening?
It’s rare, but yes. In extreme cases, an untreated abscess can lead to sepsis or spread of infection into deep facial spaces and the bloodstream. Most patients never get close to that level because they get treated in time. The warning signs that an abscess is becoming dangerous are difficulty breathing or swallowing, fever above 101°F, swelling extending to the eye or down the neck, and confusion or extreme lethargy. Any of those should send you to the ER, not to our office. |
