Can an infection go away on it's own?

[Imapparentlyhere]

Hey, I went to the emergency dentist in the summer time last year with an abscess, I was given antibiotics which took the swelling down. I went to the dentist about a week ago and had an x-ray and was told I have no infection but the lump goes up and down every now and again. I've had an ultrasound and they said it was benign so I'm unsure, can the infection just disappear? Thank you

 

[Gordon]

Not exactly. It's sort of a balancing act between your immune system and the bacteria from the abscess. If your immune system is winning then it'll quiet down a bit, if you get a bit run down then the bacteria will start winning and it'll flare up again. The source of the infection is inside a dead tooth someplace, which your immune cells can't get to, so there's always a new source of bacteria.

 

[Imapparentlyhere]

Thank you, would there be any rush to get it removed? My dentist suggested to leave it until a later date as I'm not in any pain or anything

 

[Gordon]

It depends how comfortable you are with a tooth that could give you a lot of pain/swelling without much notice. They're awfully good at flaring up just before a holiday or significant event

It's entirely up to you, there's no right or wrong answer.

 

[Imapparentlyhere]

Thank you so much Gordon