Do I have an Abscess?

If you are experiencing swelling or pain it could be an abscess. In such instances you should contact a dentist straight away. If this happens outside of practice hours, rinse your mouth with hot salt water to keep the area clean and take, where permitted, whatever pain relief you would normally take for a headache. Usually you will need to take an antibiotic to reduce/remove the abscess before you can have dental treatment. Don’t be fooled that once the abscess/pain is gone that you can leave it untreated. Abscesses are caused by infections, which if left untreated will re-occur.