Abscess questions PLEASE help

Argghhh! Arent teeth the worst thing ever when pain strikes. i really do feel for you. :cry:

I wouldnt put salt straight in the mouth but try making a salt solution up - pint water to 1 teaspoon of salt - maybe a little more but not too much.

Have you tried placing a warm/hot compress on your face over the area where the abcess is? That might help draw the pus out.

Do let us know how you get on and good luck.

Melbi x

Yes, hot, salty mouthwashes - as hot as you can take them. Keep swilling your mouth out and hopefully that will do the trick.

Good luck and hope you can soon get some relief.

How is it going sadperson? Any luck yet?

Hi Katie :D

Melbi x

Hi, thanks for your messages I shall continue today with the hot salty solutions and see if it works. Last night was very strange. I felt like my body was getting rid of all the swelling fluid by draining it down my body I could feel the pressure in the sides of my chest and moving down, I could actually feel it moving and thought maybe it would all drain away. Strangely enough apart from the pressure I wasn't in a lot of pain since the first escape of pus earlier on that day. I tried to release whatever built up in the gum by pulling my lip back and gently rubbing the gum and a little bit comes away at a time but mainly fluid with a tiny bit of pus/taste. However it is 6 am and I've woken up with great pressure again under the tooth and the golf ball type lump is still holding strong! it just all feels as though it is concentrated around the tooth now but the gum isn't really swollen. It can't seem to find a way out!!!! Apart from my glands being up the rest of the facial swelling seems to have gone down a bit so I wasn't going mad thinking it was draining away|! Will the dentist be able to take my tooth out tomorrow???????? and finally let this pus escape or does he have to wait for the pus to go first? What if it never goes!!!!!

Just keep holding the hot salt water in that area again today. Try and do it as often as possible. The more pus you can get out the more chance your dentist will remove the tooth.

From what I understand, if there's an infection then the local anaesthetic doesn't work in numbing that area. As you have been taking anti biotics then that should no longer be a problem. It's just this matter of swelling now!

I think (but I'm not medic) the salt acts like an antiseptic, the hot water encourages the abcess to come to a 'head' and thus burst and releases the pus.

Keep working with the hot salty water today. In fact, I'd go as far as saying, any hot drinks you are having today try and hold the hot liquid in that area for a while.

Let us know how it's going over the day.

Fingers crossed it will all be over tomorrow for you.

Melbi x

Hello again, thanks so much for your message. It really helps to have someone to talk to about this. I am sure my family are fed up with me! I have been unable to function properly for nearly a week now - my poor kids feel really neglected.

Anyway, I have decided to ignore it today and pretend it isn't there! I have taken some strong pain relief and I'm going to try to carry on as \"normal\" I will continue to do the salt thing and hot drinks and see what happens - I am just hoping that he will pull it tomorrow and get it over and done with.

I will report back later tonight.

At any point that it is getting you down today and you want to rant and rave about it (I know I would) then come and do it here!

You have enough to contend with, don't feel you have to suffer in silence though!

Melbi x

Just to wish you good luck tomorrow. Teeth really are a pain - an expensive pain.

I've just managed to find 'Katie's Book of Dentistry' and Melbi and I have ben giving you all the right info. It suggests holding each mouthful of hot salty water for at least one minute.

It does go on to say though 'NEVER put heat on the outside of your face, using such things as heated pads and hot water bottles, as this can bring the swelling right out onto your face and the abscess might burst through the skin ............ ':shock: Arrrgghhh ....... But, as your abscess has already burst this won't happen to you .... phew!!

Hopefully, it will have drained sufficiently for the dentist to extract it. But if there is obviously still a lot of infection around it he may decide to give you another course of antibiotics. Has he discussed trying to save the tooth with root canal work - expensive, but worth it if it is going to leave a visible gap?

Anyway, good luck and let us know how you get on. I'm just off to clean my teeth yet again .........

Katie

Hi Melbi - how are you enjoying being a moderator??

Hopefully, it will have drained

Hi again, well yesterday was eventful! It started off quite well and I was in the mood for fighting it, so as the pain had subsided a little tried to get on with things a bit more. Come 4pm I was in horrendous pain. Much worse than before. I really don't know but I think I may have had two abscesses - I can't explain it otherwise? The first pus started leaking (very slowly) on saturday and this helped to relieve some of the pain, however after that there was a continuous flow of clear/slightly pussed fluid that kept building up. Just tried to release it when I could by gently massaging gum line and holding mouth open - it was still coming out between top of gum and tooth. Anyway. I was left with a big hard lump still along my jaw line - in fact it is still there but slightly smaller. The pain went mad and it seemed like the pressure was building up again all along the jaw line and affecting two or three of my other teeth - I couldn't touch them. After four hours and lots of tears and loads of pain relief it subsided and I managed to go to sleep! During the night I was woken regularly with that draining feeling again in my jaw, neck, chest etc and then more pus found a way out through a little pimple - again very slowly but coming out none the less. This has continued. Rang the dentist and he says he wants to wait another couple of days for the rest of the swelling and lumps to subside. I hope it will be all over by Wednesday. No we haven't talked about root canal - I just want it out anyway - I think about the consequences after - I couldn't bear any more pain or the thought that it might come back.

I am just trying to let this thing take its course but it is a very long a slow process - there is no explosion of pus - just a constant dribble!

I'll keep in touch and thanks so much for all your help and advice it has really been a great help!

Good luck