Therapy

Once the diagnosis has been made, the dentist anesthetizes the affected swollen area and tries to drain the pus so that the resulting pressure is relieved and the so-called abscess is emptied. The dentist achieves this through a relief incision. He makes an incision below the swelling and the pus empties immediately as soon as access to the abscess is gained.

A strip of gauze is inserted into the cavity, in which a medication is placed. This strip is changed daily at the dentist until the swelling has completely subsided. In addition, the dentist prescribes an antibiotic parallel to the surgical therapy, which should destroy the bacteria and free the body faster from the infection. Furthermore, the tooth whose root inflammation caused the abscess must be extracted in most cases (tooth extraction), if root canal treatment is no longer possible. After the wound has healed, the resulting tooth gap can then be restored prosthetically with a bridge, implant or crown.

Diagnosis

From a purely diagnostic point of view, a purulent inflammation of the tooth root can often be recognized by a swelling. This can be manifested inside or outside the mouth. Furthermore, the patient feels a strong feeling of pressure, since soft tissue is displaced by the increase of pus secretion. Palpation of the affected region is very painful and it reddens.The dentist takes an x-ray of the affected region as a diagnostic tool to identify the causative tooth.

Duration

The duration of a purulent abscess cannot be categorized in general terms. There may be cases in which a large abscess develops within 1-3 days, in others it takes 2 weeks for it to be noticeable at all. This depends on how strong your immune system is to defend itself against the inflammatory reaction and how potent the bacteria are.

The weather can also play a role. In the cold winter an inflammation will develop much more slowly than in the warmer seasons. An abscess does not heal on its own and always requires treatment by a dentist.