Abscess?

[JMR]

Today I went for a cleaning, and also had xrays

According to the dentist and my hygienist my front tooth showed on an xray what appeared to be an abscess

To be clear

- i have no bump, or anything like that on my gums
- no decay
- no crack
- no chip
- no pain (anywhere) .... dentist tapped on the tooth
- no swollen lymph nodes

The only thing that seemed like it might be a possible indicator was my tooth is slightly discolored

Other than that, nothing

They seemed puzzled and are sending me to an endodontist for a followup exam

Is there any chance it could be something else other than an abscess?

 

[Dr M]

Discolouration on a tooth can mean a lot of things, one of which is pulpal necrosis. Sometimes the nerve dies due to trauma a long time ago.
Do you have x-rays that you could share?

 

[MattKW]

Yeah, we really need that Xray; sometimes people "see" too much that doesn't really exist, or in your case may mistake the incisive foramen for an abscess. Also, a pulp test with a cold spray or CO2 should have been performed - you don't mention that.
In the absence of pain or a gumboil, it could just be that the tooth has calcified from a blow some years ago. That sort of issue doesn't usually require treatment.