A tooth abscess differs from a gum abscess by the source of the original infection. The tooth abscess (or periapical abscess) originates from the pulp of the tooth and exits out the tooth's apex at the bottom of the root. A gum abscess (or periodontal abscess) starts in a gum pocket outside of the tooth next to the root.
Click here to see a 239-word sentence that is a perfectly fine sentence (structurally). When two independent clauses are connected by only a comma, they constitute a run-on sentence that is called a comma-splice. The example just above (about the sunscreen) is a comma-splice.
In terms of grammar and composition, the sentence above is a comma splice because it has been incorrectly joined by a comma. As you can see, the first sentence, the students completed their classwork, is an independent clause. Similarly, the second sentence is an independent clause.