I have had an periapical abscess under my wisdom tooth for two months and am on the waiting list for extraction at the local oral surgery department. The infection improves sometimes and flares up at others and I have had a few antibiotic courses. I now have pain when the tooth is pressed and what is probably a sinus to the gum (some swelling near that tooth). When the tooth is extracted, will the surgeon drain the abscess under the root or will that clear by itself once the extraction is done?
Tooth abscess and awaiting extraction
- Thread starter Craig
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MattKW
Verified Dentist
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- Mar 18, 2018
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An abscess is a collection of bacteria (alive/dead), and dead white blood cells that have been trying to fight the infection. Once you get rid of the source of infection, the body defenses will nearly always win.
The more often you take antibiotics while waiting for an extraction, then the more likely the bacteria will become resistant. Maybe once every 3-5 years I have sent people to hospital because the infection was too well established by the time they finally had an extraction, and they needed IV antibiotics to help. Every year, 1 person will die per population of 2 million people in a 1st World country from an uncontrollable infection, usually because they kept throwing antibiotics at it rather than get it extracted.
The more often you take antibiotics while waiting for an extraction, then the more likely the bacteria will become resistant. Maybe once every 3-5 years I have sent people to hospital because the infection was too well established by the time they finally had an extraction, and they needed IV antibiotics to help. Every year, 1 person will die per population of 2 million people in a 1st World country from an uncontrollable infection, usually because they kept throwing antibiotics at it rather than get it extracted.