Terrified of my tooth abscess

[aways worried]

So I have a terrible tooth/nerve abscess on one of my upper right side molars. I have a huge hole in it. I should have had a root canal last March but I was too scared and now I have a raging infection and I'm freaking out!! My face and cheek are so swollen

The pus has nowhere to drain.
Started Clindamycin 300 mg every 8 hours on Sunday night and it's now Tuesday afternoon and my face is still swollen and I swear its getting bigger. The pain isn't really that bad it comes and goes. It's my face swelling that is freaking me out. I'm so scared that the antibiotics aren't working and I'm going to get sepsis and die.
Please help me!!
I suffer from really bad health anxiety and am having a real hard time dealing with this. I just want it to end

 

[drhirst]

Hi awaysworried,
It generally takes at least 48 hours for antibiotics to have a noticeable effect. It is quite normal for the swelling to take several days before it starts to go down. So, you really don't have to worry about getting sepsis.
What I would say is once, it is under control, you really need to get it sorted out before the infection comes back again. Repeated courses of antibiotics are not good for your general health, and this course of antibiotics will only temporarily supress the infection.
Hope this helps
Lincoln

 

[MumOfBoys1985]

Just wanted to say I hope you're feeling better soon and the swelling has started to subside.

 

[aways worried]

Thank you Dr. Hirst for your reply and mum of boys

I still have some swelling in my gums right above the tooth that is infected. The pain is not that bad anymore. The only pain I still have is in the swollen gum around the tooth that is making my cheek very tender and is also still swollen. Will the pus under/in the gums go away with the antibiotics.

 

[drhirst]

Hi always worried,
The antibiotics suppress the infection. This happens to a varying degree. It maybe that the swelling will disappear to he degree that you cannot see of feel it. However, it will not completely resolve and will recur at some time in the future. It is also not uncommon for the pain to disappear but a small firm lump to remain through which pus discharges every now and again.
To cure the problem you have to remove the dead nerve tissue from the tooth. This can be done either by extracting the tooth or cleaning out the dead nerve tissue and leave the tooth in place, this is called root canal treatment.
I wish I could tell you the antibiotics will make it go away and stay away but, alas, this is not the case.
Don't you just hate dentists and their bad news!!!
Lincoln

 

[aways worried]

Hi always worried,
The antibiotics suppress the infection. This happens to a varying degree. It maybe that the swelling will disappear to he degree that you cannot see of feel it. However, it will not completely resolve and will recur at some time in the future. It is also not uncommon for the pain to disappear but a small firm lump to remain through which pus discharges every now and again.
To cure the problem you have to remove the dead nerve tissue from the tooth. This can be done either by extracting the tooth or cleaning out the dead nerve tissue and leave the tooth in place, this is called root canal treatment.
I wish I could tell you the antibiotics will make it go away and stay away but, alas, this is not the case.
Don't you just hate dentists and their bad news!!!
Lincoln

Thanks much for your reply dr.hirst

Can and will a dentist pull the infected tooth now if I wanted them to? I read everywhere that dentists don't pull abscess teeth. Why? I want this tooth removed asap. There is a sore swollen bump that will not drain above the tooth that still hurts and throbs and is scaring me. The clindamycin seems to be doing nothing for it anymore.

 

[Enarete]

I read everywhere that dentists don't pull abscess teeth.

If I may contribute, this doesn’t make sense to me. If you come across to where you read it, would you mind posting it? An abscess is actually very often a reason for teeth removal. Sometimes, if there is too much swelling or the numbing is difficult, people get antibiotics and come back a week later or so, but that’s not always the case. Anyway, scheduling an appointment with a dentist sounds like a good idea.

 

[drhirst]

Sometimes if you try to remove an tooth with an acute abscess, it can be hard to fully numb the area with local anaesthetic. The acidity of the pus can stop the local working fully. So, whilst the patient feels really numb, as soon a pressure is applied to the tooth some pain if felt. More local anaesthetic is given and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and the extraction has to be postponed until antibiotics have calmed the infection down.
always worried, as you have had antibiotics, which should have suppressed the infection somewhat, now would an ideal time to extract it.
In my experience, it is only rarely necessary to delay an extraction of an abscessed tooth, in most cases with I am able to get it numb enough.

 

[drhirst]

If I may contribute, this doesn’t make sense to me. If you come across to where you read it, would you mind posting it? An abscess is actually very often a reason for teeth removal. Sometimes, if there is too much swelling or the numbing is difficult, people get antibiotics and come back a week later or so, but that’s not always the case. Anyway, scheduling an appointment with a dentist sounds like a good idea.

Especially for my friend Enarete, save this for when you are having trouble sleeping https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3218719/