Dull pain in jaw after a recent infection

Okay, so about a week or two ago I developed what I think was a small abscess in the top set of teeth, it was near the front of my mouth. There was quiet a bit of pain for a couple of days, which I was able to manage with painkillers, however the infection seemed to disappear pretty much overnight. It had been leaking pus the day before that happened so i'm guessing it all leaked out as I was asleep.

Anyway, the other day I noticed a sore/swelling kind of feeling under my jaw bone. At first i thought it was a gland, since I occasionally get a gland swelling that lasts for about a day and then disappears. However it is still with me two days later, and when the pain flares up (although its not very bad yet, haven't had to take painkillers) I get minor toothache along with it. Also when I eat food I can feel a small level of swelling under the gum area where the pain is, there is also a very small mass on the outside of my jaw, under the skin, that was not there before. Its not big enough to see but can definitely feel it under the skin and when I do that the toothache gets worse, so i'm sure they are related. 

Is it possible that the original infection that broke down could have spread to my jawbone? It seems like a big coincidence that this happens just days after the other infection. I haven't been to the dentist for a couple of years, which is obviously stupid of me but I have an appointment booked in about 3 weeks time.

It feels like the new infection (that's what i'm assuming it is) is deeper than the other one, as there is no sign of pus and the pain goes right down to the jawbone itself.

I have a fair idea of which tooth is likely to be infected. There is a tooth right where the pain is that grew somewhat deformed, there was no enamel and as a result it decayed very quickly. My original dentist said she would put a crown on the tooth, but then I had to switch dentists and my new one basically drilled the entire top of the tooth off and filled it in. Then I stupidly stopped seeing that dentist a year or two ago so the tooth hasn't been checked or monitored in any way. So yeah its probably that tooth that's infected, although not 100% since the entire jaw hurts on the left from the back to near the chin.

Anyway, sorry for writing so much, I didn't want to leave anything out. At the end of the day, what I want to know is:

Is it safe to wait for three weeks for my appointment, or is there a risk that damage could be done to my jaw if I wait for that long? In which case should I go to an emergency dentist?

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