Tooth abcess worried

[Jennaxox]

I've got this awful throbbing tooth ache, I'm putting it down to a tooth abcess but can't get in to see my dentist untill Monday, I'm not really worried as people have told me they can kill you and cause brain damage? Is this true I'm worried sick now if anyone can help put my mind at rest it will be appreciated thankyou xx

[hanshan]

A tooth abscess is in most cases a tiny pocket of infection (think about the size of a pimple). Again, in most cases, there is no immediate threat to the health of the rest of your body or your brain.

However, that tiny pocket of infection can cause terrible pain by pressing directly on the nerve that runs along the base of the tooth roots. If this happens to you, don't worry, you are not dying, no matter how awful it feels.

The only cure (apart from pulling out the tooth) is for the dentist to remove the decayed nerve inside the tooth all the way down to the abscess, and relieve the pressure. Once that is done, the intense pain will abate. (A really strong dose of antibiotics like metronidazole plus amoxicillin can also sometimes help).

Hope things stay okay through to Monday. Have a supply of the strongest pain killers you can muster, in case you need them.

[ryangreen]

I hate to use this term but if you had a abscess "you would know it" I have had one and let me tell you the pain is way more severe than just a toothache and usually the pocket of infection is visible at least in my case it was as I looked like I had a peanut In the side of my mouth/cheek.

Please don't fret about it too much I'm sure it's just a bad toothache

[hanshan]

As ryangreen says, the pain from an abscess is usually much greater than a normal toothache.

In a normal toothache, dental caries has reached down to where it is affecting the nerve in the tooth. With luck, a simple filling will seal things up and all will be well.

[unsure_about_this]

It is good that you got a dentist appointment, so the dentist can have a look at it.

Please don't Google about tooth abscess.

[saab]

I have had several abcesses under teeth. They are agony and it's a horrible throbbing pain, relieved only by pressing on the gum and squeezing the infection out. You would almost certainly see the abcess, or feel it draining into your mouth, or have a swollen cheek or jaw. Infections can cause more serious issues, but getting anything serious from a tooth abcess would be very, very rare. If you think of all the people in the UK who have had a tooth abcess (millions probably), how may have suffered brain damage or died? Percentage wise, it must be too small to calculate. And they were probably people who never went to dentists, ever.

[hanshan]

I'm not a dental specialist, but I imagine that dental abscesses that drain out through the gum are in the minority.

The whole point is that a very small amount of infection of no great importance can cause an awful lot of pain because it is pressing on a branch of the trigeminal nerve, which is directly connected to the brain.

So, painful, yes. Life-threatening, highly unlikely.

A trip to the dentist should clear things up.

[Leighroy]

Ive had 6 of my upper teeth removed, all due to abscesses. I now wear a denture and ive finally learned that a dental abscess is nothing more than a very uncomfortable pain.

I promise you that youll come to no harm.