When the pulp of a tooth dies due to damage or decay, bacteria will begin to grow from the dead tissue that is left. This bacteria will eventually spread from the root of the dead tooth into the tissue that is below and create a pocket of pus - the abscess. Gum disease is also a cause for a tooth becoming abscessed. If the root tips have managed to wrap themselves around the bone, the removal process can be very time consuming and quite painful. Once the extractions have been completed, there is normally little to no swelling involved. Your dentist will prescribe you some pain medicine, which you should use as soon as you arrive home. This acid is very harmful to teeth, as it can eat through the dentin and enamel in no time at all. If you don t do something about it, the acid will continue to eat at the tooth until there is nothing left to say - leaving you no choice but to get the tooth extracted. Over time, the tooth enamel will start to break down beneath the surface of your tooth, even though the surface will appear to be fine. If you don t do something about the progression of periodontal disease, the condition will continue to get worse. During the early stages of the disease, you ll notice that your gums appear to be bright red, and very sore. This is due to the plaque building up below the gum line. When left untreated, the plaque and tartar that is below the gums will continue to eat at the teeth. It normally doesn t affect the nerves, although as a result of the tooth area being lost, you may need to have a root canal to clean out the tooth before having a crown put on it. The seriousness of this fracture depends on how far it has went beyond the gum line. If it has made it s way deep into the gum line, you may not be able to save the tooth. After the removal of your wisdom teeth, your dentist will go over what you need to do to ensure the proper healing of your gums and mouth. Normally, he will give you information to go over, to make sure that you experience no problems in the healing process. Someone will need to be with you for the first 24 hours, to make sure that you ok.