Which is the best antibiotic?

There is no antibiotic that is a non plus ultra against periodontitis. There are many different bacteria that are the cause of gingivitis. Each bacterium must be fought differently.

That is why there are also different antibiotics. Before choosing the appropriate antibiotic, a microbiological analysis must therefore be carried out. Amoxicillin is given very frequently, as it is effective against the most common strain of bacteria, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans.

However, it has no effect on other bacterial strains. Therefore, different active substances are combined with each other. An effective combined preparation is amoxicillin in combination with metronidazole. However, there are many other antibiotics that are very similar in their basic features, but are adapted to certain germs.

Skin rash after antibiotic

A skin rash is primarily a sign of a defensive reaction of the body. In most cases, there is no allergy to the active ingredient itself, but rather an intolerance to an additive such as preservatives, flavors or colorants. Skin rashes are frequently noted when taking Ampicillin, a penicillin.

Up to 10% of all patients react to this antibiotic. The extent of the rash varies greatly. Sometimes it affects only a small area, otherwise it can spread over the whole body.

A real allergy occurs after one week at the earliest. If you are affected, you should stop taking the antibiotic and inform the dentist so that he can look at the rash and prescribe another antibiotic if necessary. This may also be of interest to you: Ointment for gingivitis

How long do I need the antibiotic?

The length of time it is taken varies depending on the severity of the periodontitis. In addition, the various antibiotics with different active ingredients differ in their duration of administration. The most common duration of administration is one week.

The dosage per day varies again. There are medications that are taken in the morning, at noon and in the evening with food, or tablets that are only taken once a day. Ciproflaxin 250, for example, is taken for 10 days, twice a day.

Tetracycline 250 is taken for 21 days because of its low content of active ingredients. So it depends on which bacterial strains are combated by which active substance. The duration of intake depends on this. It is very important to take the antibiotic as prescribed by the dentist or pharmacist in order to avoid making any treatment mistakes and thus to breed resistant bacterial strains.

What to do if the gum inflammation does not get better despite an antibiotic?

If the selected antibiotic does not work, a change to another active substance should be considered. A microbiological test should be carried out to determine the bacteria responsible for gingivitis. Depending on the result, the appropriate antibiotic should be chosen and the antibiotic therapy should be started again. If these measures do not help, oral hygiene and dental care must be carried out even more consistently. In addition, check-ups at the dentist should be carried out at shorter intervals.