Gum Abscess

[CagneyDog]

I think I have one :( I've look at some information about abseccess's on the internet and it's exactly what I'm experiecing. The gum is swollen about one of my teeth and a white dot is appearing [and getting larger]. :( Has anyone had this before? I'm going out of town tomorrow and I'm scared that it will get really bad. Is there anything I can do for it? I'm not going to a dentist, ever, so I'm guessing it will get alot worse.

[catnapper]

sounds like a simple mouth ulcer (or at least thats what we call it) just try to reduce the amount of acid in your mouth -- chew some Tums, Rolaids, etc. They do taste awful but help.

What does it look like? A whitish hole in your gum? If so its just a simple ulcer from mouth acid. If its a blister or something else, i have no idea how to help you. Hope this helped!

[CagneyDog]

No it's not a hole it kind of looks like puss...except it's not. :o

[catnapper]

hmmm... care to photgraph it? ;)

[catnapper]

ok, does this link show you anything similar to what you have?
mouth sores (http://health.allrefer.com/health/mouth-ulcers-pictures-images.html)

or this one
mouth ulcer (http://www.healthopedia.com/mouth-ulcer/mouth-ulcer.html)

lastly, not a great photo, but I like how they mention home remedies
mouth ulcer cures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouth_ulcer)

[poofy]

uck I hope it dont look like that..oh my, I had an abcess once, it was terriable ,had white on it, they had to lance it and then pull it when it got better..oh it was awfull, hope it gets better soon.. :(

[CagneyDog]

Nope that's not really what it looks like. It's just above a tooth and its a small bubble-ish thing that is whiteish pussy looking and it's swollen around the area. I'm trying to find a picture right now that kind of looks like it.

[Laura's Babies]

Sounds like a abscess and you will need a Rx to get rid of it. You could wake up tomorrow and find half your face swollen and end up in so pretty bad pain. Also, remember a abscess is an infection and it, being in your mouth, is close to your brain! If you have a dentist, call him, tell him you have a abscess and have to go out of town and see if he will call you in a RX, and while you are on the phone, set up that appointment to have it taken care of when you return home.

[Rachel]

I'm not going to a dentist, ever, so I'm guessing it will get alot worse.

You may need to rethink that position. There is nothing like pain to make you change your mind. Also what Laura's Babies said about an infection and being close to the brain is something to take seriously. Don't think of going to the dentist as something to fear, think of it as a resource that you can be very thankful for. Trust me, I do understand fear, but I after those appointments are over and done with, they were never half as bad as I imagined.

[finn's mom]

I'm not going to a dentist, ever, so I'm guessing it will get alot worse.

You mean you won't go to the dentist for this? Or for anything?! I've heard of not wanting to go to the dentist, but, you are seriously asking for major trouble and horrible teeth later in life if you don't take care of them by seeing a dentist. And, especially at this point, isn't it more up to your parents than you? Not trying to be snotty about it, but, at the same time, until you're 18, you're their responsibility. ;)

[mruffruff]

Many years ago I had the same thing happen to me. I was going to the dentist every six months and brushing correctly.

I nearly lost my two bottom teeth right in front because the dentist wasn't doing his job. I had to have the gums cut back in my entire mouth ---at great expense and pain.

Get to a dentist right away. He/she can help with the pain and fix it so you don't lose any teeth. The health of your teeth has a direct effect on your entire health, even to heart problems. (And this is true also of your pets.)

[CagneyDog]

Well it hasn't gotten any worse, but it's not better. *sigh* I just want to forget about it. It's not overly painful...it hurts the most when I eat things like oranges etc. but other than that i can't feel it.


You mean you won't go to the dentist for this? Or for anything?! I've heard of not wanting to go to the dentist, but, you are seriously asking for major trouble and horrible teeth later in life if you don't take care of them by seeing a dentist.

I'll go to the dentist for a cleaning or something [but thats pushing it] but not for anything like this. After stories like mrrufruffs and reading some on the internet there is nooooo way I will go through that. It's not THAT painful as it is.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

I'll go to the dentist for a cleaning or something [but thats pushing it] but not for anything like this. After stories like mrrufruffs and reading some on the internet there is nooooo way I will go through that. It's not THAT painful as it is.

THAT's the problem with dentists - we only ever hear the BAD stories. If I were you I would ask around and get a recommendation for a dentist who has a reputation for being gentle and patient with nervous people. When I started to go to my dentist I was REALLY nervous, and we arranged that I would keep one hand up on my chest, and if I lifted my hand he would stop doing whatever he was doing. This was his suggestion and it worked great, as I still felt in control even although I had a mouth full of instruments!

NOW? Well, let me just say that last time I was there I FELL ASLEEP whilst he was doing my filling :D Talk about RELAXED ;)

[CagneyDog]

YAY :D The swelling has went down and it's not as bad as before. I took some tylenol so maybe that's what made it go down. I'm so relieved!

[mruffruff]

You really should see a dentist anyway. Just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean everything is OK. A good dentist will find out what's wrong and fix it so it won't hurt again. They have lot of ways to keep the experience from being painful. The last time I went, they put a gel on my gums and I had NO PAIN at all.

Please take care of it now and avoid bigger problems (like mine) later.

[catnapper]

If it is an abcess.... from my own personal he** of abcesses, trust me, get thee to a dentist!

Here's my own little story:
When I first was laid off years ago, I started to have mouth pain. I figured it was nothing but a sore tooth, so I ignored it feeling there was no way I could afford a dentist being out of work. Then the pain became so intense I had no clue if it was top, bottom, left or right of my mouth. I was a person in pure agony, yet I STILL refused to go to the dentist.

Well, when it got to bad that I no longer ate anything because chewing hurt so bad, and I couldn't sleep because laying down hurt so bad.... I finally relented and tried to find a dentist that would work with me financially. Turned out I found one with my second phone call: old highschool buddy of hubby! Woohoo! He's been AWESOME with billing. Anyway, the X-ray revealed that I had an abcessed tooth. Not just any abcess. It was the mother of all abcesses that ate away the bone and was headed into my sinus cavity. He gave me two prescriptions: one for vicodin and onne for an antibiotic. Wow, even the vicodin didn't cut the pain.

It took OVER 6 months for the bone to heal over.... and still, 3 years later, I get some serious sinus pain related to the tooth reabcessing EVERY spring like CLOCKWORK due to allergies. So I just call up Dr. Mark and say "my tooth is abcessing again" and head over for a refill of the antibiotic. Right now I can feel that abcess a little lately (weird winter so far, and my allergies have been nuts). The dentist doesn't know why my bone hasn't completely healed or why the abcess keeps reappearing.... and every time it does, my husband says "just yank the tooth and you won't have the abcess anymore" :rolleyes:

I've learned my lesson of not ignoring mouth pain and acesses. If I got there in the beginning of the pain, I would have just had the acverage abcess and been given antibiotics and sent on my way. Never to have another thought of the abcess again. But I was stubborn and the last thing I wanted to do was see a dentist. Hopefully this experience gets you to one yourself! ;)

[Rachel]

Please heed the advice that others have given you. Call your friends to see who is pleased with their dentist. It does make a world of difference having one who is sensitive to those of us who are fearful. One thing that the dentist will want to know is if your tooth is sensitive to heat or cold, so do a self test with a cold drink and a hot drink. There has been tremendous gains in the techniques of dentistry in the last several years. The *pain* you might experience in the dental chair (if there is any at all) will be negligible to what you will have if this is an abscess and you let it go.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

A couple years ago I had an abscessed tonsil. Wow was that painful. I had to get a prescription to get rid of it. It was horrible, for about a week I couldn't eat anything solid and I could hardly open my mouth enough to talk.

Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

[CagneyDog]

Thanks everyone :) The swelling is totally gone now. My mom is looking for a new dentist tomorrow. I think I will check out the dental office before my appointment, knowing my surroundings makes me feel 10000% better.