How long before an abscess kills you?

[Karli]

Had an abscess over a year now. Probably closer to two. Cause me no bother at all and I have one of those little gum books next to the tooth so I know it’s draining. I am terrified of getting this tooth removed as I went to have it removed when it first abscessed. The dentist injected it about 12 times and it wouldn’t go numb. Iv only been back since once but about a different tooth. I am laying awake at night crying thinking this is going to kill me and leave my babies without a mum. But I still jus can’t bring myself to go to the dentist. So
I just wondering how often these things actually spread?

Is there time for me to find a new dentist and go from there. How often do people actually get sepsis etc from abscesses teeth?!

 

[drhirst]

Hi Karli,
Whatever you decide to do, your babies are stuck with you for a long, long time. These chronic abscesses draining through the gum boil are pretty harmless in healthy people. Yes, if you ask Dr Google you will read tales of nasty brain abscesses, but the reality is that this is an extremely rare complication. I have never heard of a case in 30 years of practice.
It is not ideal to leave them, and if you can summon up the courage to get it dealt with you will feel better for it, but there is no urgency about it.
Now that the abscess is draining and no longer acute, the local anaesthetic will almost certainly be effective.
Hope you I have helped you get some sleep tonight.

Lincoln

Had an abscess over a year now. Probably closer to two. Cause me no bother at all and I have one of those little gum books next to the tooth so I know it’s draining. I am terrified of getting this tooth removed as I went to have it removed when it first abscessed. The dentist injected it about 12 times and it wouldn’t go numb. Iv only been back since once but about a different tooth. I am laying awake at night crying thinking this is going to kill me and leave my babies without a mum. But I still jus can’t bring myself to go to the dentist. So
I just wondering how often these things actually spread?

Is there time for me to find a new dentist and go from there. How often do people actually get sepsis etc from abscesses teeth?!

 

[apartments]

Had an abscess over a year now. Probably closer to two. Cause me no bother at all and I have one of those little gum books next to the tooth so I know it’s draining. I am terrified of getting this tooth removed as I went to have it removed when it first abscessed. The dentist injected it about 12 times and it wouldn’t go numb. Iv only been back since once but about a different tooth. I am laying awake at night crying thinking this is going to kill me and leave my babies without a mum. But I still jus can’t bring myself to go to the dentist. So
I just wondering how often these things actually spread?

Is there time for me to find a new dentist and go from there. How often do people actually get sepsis etc from abscesses teeth?!

Hi

From what I understand once an abscess starts to drain it won't spread because the infection has a way of escape. I have had an abscess before and not realized it because the pain made it feel like my sinuses were flaring up until I developed a gumboil and went to the dentist. Before that I had been walking around for several months with what I thought was sinus pain from clogged sinuses and a deviated septum but I felt healthy otherwise. It seems that actual sepsis and death is much less common than what google would have you believe.

 

[Karli]

Thank you.
I really needed to read this. I suffer terribly with anxiety and have been making myself ill over the past week. I have rang a few dental practices and going to register with a new one this week to hopefully have all my treatment done. I have horrendously had and weak teeth, I have had constant work on them since I was three years old and have always been fine at the dentist, until this bloody dentist tried to pull it while I felt it and I've just developed a horrible anxiety over it since then.

Currently have 4 teeth that need extracting or root canal on two. Iv had braces (that had to come off because my teeth were too weak) teeth out, root canals, crowns etc. Let's hope I can get this dealt with before I loose all my teeth I'm only 29.

Thank you once again for taking the time to reply.