Common Dental Treatment Toothache Broken Tooth Dental Infection
BACKGROUND: If you are experiencing a swollen cheek or swollen gums that hurt, bleed, and has a “bad smell,” there is a high chance that you have a dental infection or abscess. Dental infections can occur over time or suddenly and can not only be painful but also life-threatening. If the cheek is swollen and is warm to the touch and painful then the possibility of having an abscess is very high and will require immediate attention. Dental infections can start without any pain and can last years without any symptoms. Usually, a dental infection will lead to pus which is a white/yellowish liquid that is full of bacteria and will usually smell very bad. When the pus finds a place to drain into (usually into your bloodstream or you swallow it) then you won’t notice the swelling. When the pus and bacteria don’t find a place to leak into then they fill up under the gums like a balloon and keep getting bigger and bigger until the abscess pops or it is manually drained by a professional.
DENTAL ABSCESS: The dental pressure of the pus and liquid building up is what usually hurts and when the abscess is drained or popped the pressure comes down and the pain is relieved. Some dental abscess can move into the throat and block the airway resulting in death or life-threatening emergencies that need to be treated in an emergency room or dental urgent care center. Antibiotics are usually prescribed and immediately help with dental infections but will not cure the problem but rather buy you time to fix the source of the problem with treatment.
DID YOU KNOW? Commonly Prescribed Medications by Local Emergency Dentists for Tooth Aches:
The most common and effective forms of antibiotics for dental pain are usually Penicillin based antibiotics:
- Amoxicillin 500 mg taken three times a day for 7 days
- Augmentin 500 mg taken two times a day for 7 days
- For those who are allergic to penicillin, Clindamycin 150mg or 300m are two of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics.