Tackling Your Dental Treatment Plan

If you notice a large, round, and painful protrusion on your gums that appears bright red, then an abscess has likely formed in your mouth. If you see this sort of infected boil, then you may be tempted to puncture and drain it. This is not a good idea. It is wise to seek out assistance from your dentist as soon as possible. To understand why you should not drain the abscess and to also find out what you should do instead, keep reading.

Why Should You Not Pierce An Oral Abscess?

Oral abscesses on the gums will build when certain types of bacteria infect the tissues. The bacteria will start to release toxic byproducts that damage the tissues in the region. These tissues will die, break down, and mix with the bacteria and white blood cells. These things create the pus in the abscess. As an abscess builds and contains more and more pus, it will place pressure on the nearby teeth and the dental nerves. This can cause quite a bit of pain, and so can the inflammation around the abscess. While the draining of the large protrusion will help to relieve your discomfort, you are likely to cause bacteria to spread. The abscess will likely contain certain staphylococcus and streptococcus bacteria strains that are pus-forming varieties. This means that these bacteria can cause an infection and abscess somewhere else if they are freed into the mouth.

Your dentist will use a careful process to lance abscesses. To make sure that the pus and bacteria do not enter the mouth, a dental dam will be used to surround the formation. Also, your dental professional will be able to prescribe you antibiotics to prevent infections from occurring if bacteria happen to spread.

What Should You Do Instead?

Instead of lancing the abscess, make an appointment will your dentist for treatment. While you wait for the appointment, you can use gentle rinses to help reduce the inflammation around the abscess. Not only will this reduce your discomfort, but it can prevent the abscess from swelling further and bursting in the mouth before your dentist has an opportunity to inspect and treat the formation. 

The best rinse for an abscess is a salt water rinse. Salt water helps to pull moisture from around the abscess to reduce inflammation. It also constricts the capillaries in the gums to reduce pressure on the abscess. Create the rinse by mixing about one teaspoon of salt in about one cup of warm water. Mix the salt in the water until it dissolves. Take a large sip of the salt water and gently move it around the mouth. Do this for 30 to 60 seconds and spit the rinse out. Complete the rinse several times a day to reduce abscess pain. 

For more information, talk to a professional like http://www.fortcollinsdentist.com.