If you have an abscess, seek medical attention if you develop a fever, chills, the area around the abscess get warm or the redness and swelling get worse. Once an abscess has drained, it usually heals quickly and doesn't cause long-term consequences.
The wound will take about 1 to 2 weeks to heal, depending on the size of the abscess. Healthy tissue will grow from the bottom and sides of the opening until it seals over.
If the abscess opens on its own and drains, and the infection seems to clear up in a couple of days, your body should heal on its own. If it doesn't, it's time to call your doctor's office. If you have tooth pain and you suspect there may be an infection, call your dentist.
A burst abscess can be very painful and cause the infection to spread. Treatment for tooth and other mouth abscesses is especially important. Untreated tooth abscesses can kill you. Untreated infections can spread to surrounding tissues in your body.
If you are suffering from an abscess and cannot make it to your doctor within three days, you should consider going to an urgent care clinic or hospital emergency room. Abscesses need immediate medical attention.
Abscess Symptoms
The infection can spread to the tissues under the skin and even into the bloodstream. If the infection spreads into deeper tissue, you may develop a fever and begin to feel ill.
Emergency medical care could be in order if the abscess is accompanied by a fever higher than 101°F or if the abscess measures more than half an inch. If red streaks radiate from a possible infection site, seek medical attention right away.
Patients have much less pain after the surgery than they had prior to the surgery. However, depending on the size of the abscess there may be residual discomfort for a few days. Pain should slowly decrease. After a few days if there is a change in course and pain begins to intensify call the office.
Showering is preferable to bathing, so that the wound does not 'soak' in water. Do not use soap, shower gel, body lotion, talcum powder or other bathing products directly over your healing wound; and do not rub the area, as this might be painful and could delay healing.
A small skin abscess may drain naturally, or simply shrink, dry up and disappear without any treatment. However, larger abscesses may need to be treated with antibiotics to clear the infection, and the pus may need to be drained.
For all abscesses: Keep the area covered with a gauze dressing, which should be changed if it gets dirty. Use warm compresses to the area, at least 4 times a day.
Can the abscess return? In most cases, the chance of an abscess coming back after proper treatment is very minimal. Taking all of the prescribed antibiotics is the best way to eliminate all of the infection. The abscess could come back in the same spot or elsewhere if the infection wasn't eliminated.
Bathing It is safe to shower one day after surgery. Simply let water run into the incision and pat the area dry. It is important to let the water get inside the wound as this will promote healing. Please shower prior to each dressing change if possible.
Conclusion. This retrospective data suggests that abscesses greater than 0.4 cm in depth from the skin surface may require a drainage procedure. Those less than 0.4 cm in depth may not require a drainage procedure and may be safely treated with antibiotics alone.
The Pain. The pain from a mouth abscess comes when the infection reaches your nerve. The infection of your tooth has gotten so bad, it has created a pocket of pus under your gumline. The pus pocket at the nerve ending is what causes such severe pain.
The main symptom of a dental abscess is a severe, throbbing pain in your affected tooth or gum. The pain usually: comes on suddenly. may gradually get worse over a few hours or a few days.
If you can't get in to see your dentist right away, you can take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) to help with the pain. Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water may also help. You can purchase over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication online.
Healing could take a week or two, depending on the size of the abscess. During this time, new skin will grow from the bottom of the abscess and from around the sides of the wound.
Abscesses tend to get worse as time goes on. Symptoms include tenderness or pain and the site of the abscess being warm to the touch.
They vary in size, typically 1 to 3 cm in length, but are sometimes much larger. Initially the swelling is firm; later, as the abscess points, the overlying skin becomes thin and feels fluctuant. The abscess may then spontaneously drain.
If the drainage is thin and clear, it's serum, also known as serous fluid. This is typical when the wound is healing, but the inflammation around the injury is still high. A small amount of serous drainage is normal. Excessive serous fluid could be a sign of too much unhealthy bacteria on the surface of the wound.