Tooth Abscess

Call your dentist please.

I did. They were only available on November 15th. Should i call a different dentist?

I wouldn't worry about it.

When I had an abscess, they gave me antibiotics and then told me to come back later in a few weeks. I think this is pretty standard treatment. I was told that they couldn't do anything until the antibiotics had taken effect anyway (for the record, I ended up losing the tooth... but by the time the abscess started that was already a foregone conclusion.) The antibiotics cure the infection. Then they can fix the problem in the tooth.

Note: I am not a dentist, but I assume that if this were an emergency they would have gotten you more treatment right away.

Probably they gave you an appointment for November 15 because they don't think you need anything more than antibiotics until that time. You should be able to talk to your dentist to confirm... but if your dentists tells you there is no emergency, then you should trust him.

The best thing to do is to trust the medical people and do your best to not worry until your appointment. If you need more urgent care, I am pretty sure that your body will let you know with a fever and really bad swelling. If that happens, of course you should go back to urgent care.

The antibiotics will most likely take care of the infection. That is what you need until your appointment next month.

Thanks for the detailed response. When I made the appointment I didn't tell them I had the that i had the Abscess, so that maybe why they weren't panicking. What I'm going to do tomorrow is I'm going to call a different dentist this is open (there's one open Saturday) and make sure I'm alright and that i won't have to go in immediately. I'm not really worried, but I read some horror stories about abscesses and don't want to take any chances.

Yes, talking to a dentist tomottow is a good idea especially if it will help you to not worry. Good luck.

If you can’t see a dentist immediately: Consider going to an ER if you have severe pain and/or swelling. If you are having trouble breathing, go to an ER right away.

Did any people here read the post? It is a small abscess with no pain. She already went to a clinic and saw medical professionals who gave her antibiotics and told her to see a dentist at her convenience (and she has an appointment already).

The OP doesn't need people telling her to panic or taking about "trouble breathing" (what the hell???? trouble breathing isn't even a symptom of a tooth infection and if you have trouble breathing you should go to the ER whether or not you have a tooth infection.).

What she needs is assurance that since she has done the right thing and has received medical care, she can stop worrying.

She should talk to a dentist, who will probably tell her to wait a few weeks for the antibiotics to work anyway. Then she can stop worrying. A panicked trip to the emergency room will cost her possibly hundreds of dollars... after which they will probably just send her home anyway since she has already seen medical professionals who told her to take antibiotics and not worry.

A small abscess with very little swelling and pain is not a medical emergency, particularly after she has been given antibiotics. People here making her freak out after she is already receiving care doesn't help her at all.

Most likely she will see her dentist next month who will tell her she needs a root canal. This is quite common, hundreds of thousands of Americans get root canals every year with very little risk, it is quite routine. I have had a couple root canals done. They are not emergencies... they generally schedule them several weeks in advance, most dentist offices have specialists who just do root canals who come in a couple of days a week so you can never get an appointment with them right away. But dentists understand that these abscesses need to be taken care of... but they aren't urgent.

This is not a medical emergency.

I am curious... has no one else here ever had a root canal?

The infection can spread as quickly as overnight (in some cases, however, it can take years to spread). An abscess can cause death when the infection spreads to the brain or heart or when swelling cuts off the airway.

Contrex, let me say this as clearly as I can. You are being idiotic. There is no reason for the OP to panic, this is fairly routine.

1) She has already been seen by medical professionals. They looked at her tooth and decided that she needs antibiotics. She is taking the antibiotics.

2) Millions of Americans get tooth abscesses every year (without brain swelling or cutting off the airway or being attacked by rabid tree frogs). These tooth abscesses are common and the treatment is routine.

3) She is getting the same treatment that dentists give everyone. Millions of us have had this problem, we are given antibiotics and then told to come back some time in the future to fix the problem with the tooth. Often this means a root canal.

She has received medical care from professionals. That is what she was supposed to do. These professionals gave her antibiotics and told her to get an appointment with the dentist. This is what they are supposed to do. Obviously if the tooth starts to hurt more, or if there are obvious symptoms beyond the tooth, then she should seek more medical attention. But this is very unlikely to happen.

She doesn't need to worry beyond that.

If she wants more of my personal experience with getting a couple of root canals (which is perhaps the most common treatment for a tooth abscess) I would be happy to give her more of my experience.

I imagine that many of the people reading this have had root canals due to a tooth abscess. I wish they would chime in to tell the OP that there is really nothing to worry about.