Do Abscesses Go Away on Their Own?

If you have an abscessed tooth or gum, it is a symptom of more significant dental problems than you may think. An abscess is a swelling that occurs on the gums surrounding a tooth suffering from a bacterial infection. Bacteria find their way through your gums to your tooth due to decay, broken or missing teeth. Lack of proper dental care also contributes to bacterial infections in the teeth and gums. Food particles that are not removed from the spaces between your teeth mix with saliva and form a hard substance known as plaque, which coats your teeth. Over time, the plaque hardens even further to form a substance known as tartar.

Tartar shelters bacteria, enabling it to find a way through the teeth. The subsequent infection causes your tooth to form an abscess. Now that we know what an abscess is and its causes, let’s find out how to treat it to get rid of it.

Getting Rid of Your Abscess

Since bacteria cause an abscess, you must eliminate all the bacteria when treating the abscess. Therefore, we recommend that you visit us to examine the abscess and advise on the type of treatment you should administer.

There are different ways to treat an abscess. You can start with a few home remedies such as saltwater or simple painkillers. These will be effective in reducing the pain. However, we advise that you use home remedies for pain management rather than to treat the abscess.

Upon examination, our professional will gauge the extent of the abscess and either administer medication or perform a procedure to drain the abscess. This procedure involves making a cut on or around the swollen area, draining the pus out, and cleaning the affected tooth and its surrounding tissues. You will then get a recommendation to buy antibiotics and painkillers to help you with the healing process. Be careful not to interfere with the abscess yourself, as it could lead to more spreading. To be on the safe side, be sure to book an appointment with us and get your abscess dealt with the right way.