Please answer my question, I am afraid I might die!?

Question

Does anyone here know what an absess is? I had one last night (pretty big) and went to the ER, to get it popped, (it was above my tooth) the docter refused to pop it, and gave me anti-biotics and darvaset, Late last night I started throwing up and still can't keep anything down, ( I just throwed up like 3 min. ago) Im just trying to sip tea, and water, I have had a fever since last night also, (it was 100 deg.) now that I am awake this morning it is 102.8, I looked at the absess, it is gone, I think it busted inside my gums! Is this life threatning, since it is full of puss and stuff? Or do I just have a bug? Thanks for answering, I feel so, so, bad right now.

Answer 1

The process is as follows- bacteria manage to affect the nerve of your tooth, and so it inflames and eventually starts to die- this happens either because the gums are very unhealthy and the bugs have managed to get all the way down between the gum and the tooth to the end where the nerve comes out of the tooth, or the tooth has a cavity because it has decayed (also due to bacteria) and the decay is deep enough to let bacteria get into the pulp. If you have an abscess, at this point the nerve is most likely completely necrotic.

Due to the bacteria in the tooth pulp there is inflammation at the root tip of the tooth. As part of the body's natural inflammatory response, white blood cells collect in the area to fight the infection and try to heal the tissue. As the inflammation increases over time pus collects in the area as more "repair" is trying to take place. The build up of pus at the bottom of the tooth puts a lot of pressure on it and you may have found the tooth very tender to bite on and press, especially if that tooth is one of the teeth that occludes or makes contact with the opposite tooth when you close your mouth.

Eventually, the pus build up will be great enough that it will seep out into the tissue on the other side of the bone. This is when you can see the abscess. This will be tender to touch as well, as the pus inside is stretching the soft tissues. You may also notice that any tenderness on biting on that tooth is reduced, as the pressure from pus under the tooth is reduced because it has moved to the soft tissues.

The reason for your fever is part of the bodies response to the excess of bacteria in the body. It is possible you may notice tender/enlarged lymph node/s on your neck on the side of the infection, as this is where some of the white blood cells move to as part of the body's fight.

Okay now the Dentist/Doctor that you spoke to should have treated the CAUSE of the problem straight away rather than only give you antibiotics. However as everyone here says make sure you complete the full course of anitbiotics- this is important because if you stop taking them you could leave the strongest most resistant bugs still alive and then when they grow again they will all be strong bugs! So make sure you take the antibiotics.

The Darvocet is painkiller which you know- like the people above said avoid taking anything with paracetamol/acetaminophen/tylenol in it as you don't want to overdose on this drug. It will help with the pain to an extent and it's also meant to calm your fever down.

You need to see a dentist immediately to sort this out!
It is likely that s/he will give you the following treatment options- the tooth could have root canal treatment and this would clean out the dead nerve and hopefully most of the bacteria too, a mild bleach would be used to clean the root canal of the tooth. Certain antibiotic material may also be used to clean the canal. You may have the tooth extracted instead. Obviously this would resolve any issues related to the tooth. However the treatment carried out would probably also depend on the current condition of the teeth, and the condition of the teeth, bone and soft tissues (gums) surrounding the tooth.

Make sure you see the dentist soon! Good luck and take care, I hope this has been useful for you.

Answer 2

Maybe the Darvacet is making you nauseated. Try taking 1/2 of one if you need it, or instead of the darvocet take 2 500mg tylenol for the fever keep in mind that darvocet has some tylenol in it so don't take the tylenol with the davocet, take it 4 hours after. Take all the antibiotics as prescribed. They will "kill" any "bug" you have, it might take a few doses til you have it under control. If by all means you are not feeling any relief, can't keep anything down (like your meds), go back to the ER. They can give you a loading dose of antibiotics by IV and maybe an antiemetic/antinausea (so you you won't throw up).
I hope you feel better soon!

Answer 3

OK, so you had an abscess that broke. That's good, but you need to keep it draining. Put something warm [coffee, tea, water,etc] in your mouth as often as you can and hold it in that area then spit it out or swallow it. Do this as often as you can and it will keep it draining. Keep taking the antibiotics until they are gone, but in the mean time you need to see a dentist like ASAP. Your fever is your body trying to fight the infection but since the main focus is inside of your tooth it's never going to win the battle. The tooth either needs to be extracted or have a root canal. Darvocet is notorious for making patients nauseous so try the Tylenol xtra strength instead if you have pain but more than likely you won't have any pain as long as this keeps draining. Remember call your doc right away for an apt. and DON'T put anything on the outside of your cheek as it will tend to draw the infection out there and you surely don't want that on your face!!!

Answer 4

You have a fever because you have an infection. An abcess is the result of the nerve dying in your tooth, usually as a result of decay. This is a normal process. The ER doctor did not pop it because it would not solve anything. The infection needs to be treated internally, hence the antibiotics. A lot of people get sick with an infection like this and vomit, but you need to see a dentist/doctor right away. If you are throwing up you are not going to be able to control the infection, nor your fever, you need medical help.
The end result will be that you need the tooth taken care of, but right now, you need medical help to get that fever, vomitting and infection under control.

Answer 5

I had an absess once, popped it myself - I know wrong thing to do but anyway it went away for a few months then came back worse than before. I ended up going to the dentist where they gave me amoxcyllin (a form of penicillin) then because it had gone underneath my tooth, I had to have the tooth removed to stop the absess coming back. Touch wood I've never had another one. Not life threatening so don't panic.
See if your dentist does emergency appointments they will help you more than the hospital.
Hope this helps you and good luck x

Answer 6

Keep up with the antibiotics and darvocet for pain. You should be able to take some ibuprofen also for the fever. You don't want to mix darvocet with any other tylenol based products. I would suggest taking a brand new damp tea bag and holding in on the abcess. And swish saltwater around your mouth. Is there any way to get a hold of your regular dr. and ask for something for the nausea like phenegren? Maybe he has an after hours answering service.

Answer 7

Leah
No you should not die, An absess is caused by decay of the tooth. You need to get to a denist one that deals in oral sugary and have a root canal done or the tooth removed, yes you are sick as it is posion that is in your system.The antibiotics should help. I also recomend that you put a warm towle or wash rag on the out side of your jaw to help pull the infection out and rinse your mouth out 5 0r 6 times a day with a warm salt water solution ( 1 teaspoon of salt to 8 oz of warm water) I hope this helps.

Answer 8

Take the antibiotics they gave you. This will fight off any infection. Don't miss a dose of it. You keep taking them until they are all gone. Don't take them with milk. you should start feeling better by tomorrow. Just take it easy and drink plenty of water. You can take Tylenol for the fever. your body is reacting normally. You could have thrown up because you made yourself so upset. Or the antibiotics upset your stomach. Take it with crackers but not milk. Good luck.

Answer 9

Please call a dentist right away...I've been in the dental field for 12 years now and I have only seen one case where the person who had an abscess became very ill and if she had let it go another few days she could have very well died. There have been instances, as rare as they are, where someone has died from a dental abscess. The antibiotics will help for now....the abscess will drain and then return if you leave it untreated. These are 2 of many websites I have found to provide you with better information.

http://www.dentistry.com/articles/Untreated_Dental_Abscess_Can_Be_Dangerous.aspx

http://www.healthsquare.com/mc/fgmc1126.htm

Answer 10

Yes you can die. People don't very often anymore except is poor countries, but even in America 100 yrs ago it was common. You need to see a doctor.