History: 50 year old man with jaw pain. 

This is an example of a tooth abscess, or periapical abscess. The lucency in the maxilla indicated by the yellow arrow is somewhat nonspecific and may be secondary to tooth loosening, however, the adjacent maxillary sinus mucosal thickening argues for the case of an abscess. Click the following link to learn about Odontogenic Sinusitis.

The spectrum of apical periodontitis (inflammation at the root of the tooth, beginning in the periodontal ligament) includes periapical granuloma, periapical abscess, and periapical radicular cyst. Another term used is rarefying osteitis, which is loss of bone due to adjacent inflammation. Rarefying osteitis is the radiological term to describe the clinical entity of apical periodontitis. Treatment includes tooth extraction.