Abscessed tooth??

Question

earlier this week, i started getting really bad pains in the upper back right side of my mouth.... i assumed it was one of my wisdom teeth coming in... the pain was mild at first.. but then it just got worse... i tried taking extra strength Tylenol, Advil, and i went to walmart and bought some Ambesol to put on it, but nothing was helping... i tried to go to sleep that night and i did.. for only about an hour an a half! ..the pain got so horrible, it woke me up and i couldnt get back to sleep.. i started getting headaches and earaches on the right side of my face where the tooth pain was... Finally, it was about 4 in the morning and the pain was so unbearable that i went to the hospital... they told me i had a "Dental abscess" and my back tooth was cracked... they wrote me up a prescription for Penicillin and Percocet, and its been helping with the pain, but i dont know what comes next? I know i need to see my dentist.. but what do they do about abscessed teeth? ...someone inform me!!

Answer 1

If the crack isn't too bad, the tooth can be saved by doing a root canal, then putting in a post, then covering it up with a crown.

If the tooth is too cracked to save, you have to get the tooth taken out, and replace it in the future with something else if possible (bridge, removable partial denture, or implant, depending on the situation).

A dentist will take a look at the X-rays and tell you which is the best way to go. You need to see a dentist before you run out of penicillin though, because once you run out of the antibiotics, the pain will come back with a vengeance if nothing was done.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

As a dentist I want to first off say I'm sorry you have an abscessed tooth, I know that these can be extremely painful. Contact your regular dentist as sson as possible, even though the pain medication and antibiotics are working once you stop with the medication the infection WILL return and is more often than not even more painful. Your dentist will take an x-ray to see how larger/deep the abscess is and will discuss with you your treatment options. The two most common will be a root canal therapy and a crown or tooth extraction. Also try using a COLD compress to help relieve pain and swelling, do NOT use heat as this can cause the infection to worsen and spread which can have very serious and even fatal consequences.

Answer 3

Hi! I've been in dentistry for over 25 years and the answer is save the tooth. A root canal now is a cake walk and loosing a tooth is nightmare unless you do an implant. Your teeth will shift, the tooth above will drop and after time a bridge will cost you more. So do this. Ask the dentist if the cost of root canal and crown are worth it or should you do an extraction and implant. It balances out to the same monies. And the implant will last you 200 years or until a nuclear attack. I make my patients do the implant because root canaled teeth typically fail after 10 years and why spend 2500. now when an implant and crown are the same. My only exception is front teeth. So have a heart to heart with your dentist and have him explain both options and in the long run what is best for you. I have no desire to do a RCT and Post and core and crown to yank out the tooth in 5 years to do an implant. I have 11 implants myself because most root canals do fail and the root structure is compromise. Why waste the time and monies now. As far as pain, a root canal is simple. An extraction is only sore for 1-2 days at best. There is no reason to make a decision based on that. Just what is best in the long run. Pain meds will stop it either way. M

Answer 4

Get to the dentist as soon as possible. She will take an X-Ray, checking the severity of the abscess, if it isn't horrible, she will pull the tooth. If you have a pocket of fluid it is more apt to numb. My first abscess didn't have a pocket of fluid (gum boil) and it did not numb correct and I felt the tooth being pulled... that was very painful. My second abscess had a pocket of fluid and it numbed beautifully... my dentist said the pocket of fluid relieves pressure from the tooth which let's it numb. If the abscess is very bad, she will continue you on an antibodic. I wish you well. Make an appointment.

Answer 5

You should go to the dentist immediatly to get this taken care of. This happened to me in HS. It was the middle of the day and i started feeling feverish and light headed. When I went to the dentist the next day they scheduled me for surgery right away. My wisdom tooth was coming in underneath my molars and pushing on them. They had to cut open my gums and then crack the tooth into 2 pieces so that they could get it out. I know that this could really sound horrifying but believe me you will be EXTREMELY GLAD when it is out. They numb you up pretty good so you don't really even feel anything except a little bit of pressure when they take the tooth out. Don't wait on this, the longer you take the more damage to your normal teeth you are causing!

Answer 6

The same thing happened to me. But mine was much worst my right side of my face swelled up. It looked and felt horrible! I would seriously recommend that you get to a dentist soon. The infection can travel thru your nerves to your brain and kill you. The dentist will probably pull the tooth unless you want to keep it and then they'll give a root canal. I hope you get better cuz I know how you feel!

Answer 7

They usually pull them
If you run out of pain pills before you can get into a dentist though- If you can handle this tactic it works: Put perioxide in your mouth and let it bubble(DO NOT SWALLOW) also swishing whisky helps, and also Clove Oil is good for pain

Answer 8

go to the dentists