A tooth infection or Abscess is the result of bacteria entering the pulp chamber of the tooth and causing inflammation of the pulp tissue leading to the formation of pus in the periapical area which is called an abscess. Antibiotics to get rid of tooth infection is preferred in many cases before starting the treatment to remove the source of the infection. A tooth which is infected should be treated endodontically (Root Canal) or extracted if it is at a stage where it cannot be saved with a Root canal.
There are many other causes of tooth infection which need to be addressed as well such as Impactions, Periodontal Infections, Tooth fractures, Abrasions, Attritions etc. which can also be the cause of Pain. These causes of pain cannot be healed with Antibiotics alone and need treatment, in such cases depending only on Antibiotics to treat the pain or infection is not sufficient.
In case of tooth infections or abscess, the dentist prescribes Antibiotics to decrease the concentration of the bacteria in the site of infection. There are two types of Antibiotics which are given in case of infections – Bacteriostatic (controls the growth of bacteria) and Bactericidal (kills the bacteria). It is important to first diagnose the cause of the Abscess or Tooth infection which can be due to Decay or Gingival infection.
How much time does an Antibiotic take to decrease tooth abscess or infection?
The time taken for the Antibiotic to start acting on your tooth infection depends on many factors. Will be listing out all the factors and you need to keep in mind that Antibiotics are used to decrease the bacteria population and not pain which is done by NSAID’s.
The normal or average time taken for the effect of Antibiotics on a tooth abscess or infection is “24 to 48 hours”.
- Type of Antibiotic prescribed – Bacteriostatic or Bacteriocidal (Ex. Penicillin’s)
- Bioavailability of the drug,
- Route of administration (orally or I.V or I.M), IV has the fastest action and oral the slowest.
- Type and spread of infection (local or systemic)
In case of a tooth infection with swelling the time taken for the Antibiotic to act is delayed as there will be two types of bacteria in the infection – Aerobic and Aneorobic (grows without the need for oxygen).
In some cases where there is an infection caused due to both Aerobic and Anaerobic bacteria, two types of Antibiotics are required. Along with Antibiotics, painkillers are prescribed to help in reducing the pain during the healing process. The effect of painkillers is in some cases seen for a very short duration of time due to the presence of infection, the duration of action of the painkiller is seen once the infection starts to decrease.
T found your article really helpful. I have a tooth abscess and the dentist prescribed amoxicillin for seven days which I started yesterday 1 pm and was taking co-codamol for the pain and the last dose I needed was 5 pm yesterday. I was really looking on the web to see if I could take the antibiotic for a shorter period than seven days but from what I have read it seems I should continue for the full seven days. The dentist mentioned he might not be able to do a root filling but I said I did not want that and would prefer an extraction. It is the third molar from the upper back. I am 80 years old and have had bad experiences with root fillings in the past. He said there was no decay in the tooth which has been filled previously.
If it is the third molar and you are good at health with your Blood pressure and Diabetes (if you have) under control it is better to get it extracted after the course of Antibiotics is completed. The dosage and duration of Antibiotic course is decided based on the amount of infection.
my tooth extracted yesterday can i stop taking medication ?no pain and no bleeding because i was afraid that it might affect the result of my blood test in planning to continued it the day after my blood testing my schedule for blood test will be on friday thankyou.
What Blood test are you getting done? It is better if you take your medication atleast the pain killers for 3 days, you can stop the antibiotics for the test.
Had an upper wisdom extracted yesterday, badly broken the dentist said it was infected because the decay had gone down to the root. No antibiotics prescribed? Pretty straight forward extraction only took a couple of minutes. Gum is swollen and slight discomfort as expected but should I be on antibiotics following extraction?
Antibiotics are not required as your Immunity will take care of the healing.
I have an abscess in my 2nd molar top left. The dentist prescribed amoxicillin every 8h per 7 days. It has improved but still did not heal completely, could I extend the antibiotics treatment for 2-3 more days so the infection is over?
Antibiotic coverage of 7 days is more than enough. It is important to get the treatment done – Root Canal Treatment or Extraction which ever is required in your case.
I also have the same problem with the top tooth in front # 7 I already have a cap and a post, can the infected area be clean and the cap be place back? Though one dr said I may have an hairline crack, ?
I have infection in pulp of molar teeth and headache in the temples ?does my headache is because of tooth infection ? Can I avoid root canal and treat infection with antibiotics ?please advise
I had a root canal done while the dentist was without mask and heavily chatting into my mouth with an employee. I still felt pressure in the tooth while the dentist was closing it in as a root canal. Immediately after root canal filling I started getting pain and swelling of my face and lip. Had to wait 2 days (weekend) to get prescription for antibiotics. I got antibiotics for 8 days, the strongest one. After 7 days treatment of my swollen face it is quite good, but I can still detect leftovers of the swelling between my nose and my cheek bone by moving my nose from side to side and by running my tongue inside my upper lip. Should I buy another 8 days of antibiotics and take them for another 2-3 days and then stop? I am afraid if tiny bit infection is left, it may reswell again and then…?
Hi Robert,
It is quite unlikely for swelling to start after a root canal, it might be due to any allergy to medication or any of the irrigation materials used for doing root canal. Using Antibiotics for 8 days is more than enough to bring down most Infections, so I do not suggest using Antibiotics for more than 5 days at a time. Is the Root canal procedure completed or is there another appointment left ?
Varun, the dentist says I am on my own and everything is complete, yet after 8 days of antibiotics I can still feel a tiny bit “pillow” in my dentures and a tiny bit of “pressure” feeling sometimes to that tooth. Can the infection recur again if tiny bit left after antibiotics or am I safe now? The dentist seems disinterested.
I have a very severe abscess on my molar #30 and I have been prescribed Clindamycin 300mg for 10 days. I’m on day 3 of antibiotics, when does the pain and abscess go down? My oral surgeon did not drain it and I go back to have to tooth extracted a week and a half from now. I just want some relief. All the pressure is driving me insane and my cheek is tender.
I have a tooth abscess been on antibiotics but Ive having to wait 5 weeks until I can get the tooth removed. I’m worried about the infection spreading as I know it’s still there. Is it ok to wait this long?
I also have high blood pressure, I’m on tablets for it but I’m noticing my blood pressure level is above normal. Can the infection cause this?
Thanks
My daughter has a tooth abscess and shes been on penicillin four days total now and the swelling hasn’t gone down so I’m assuming it’s not getting rid of the infection like it should be I’ll be calling her dentist tomorrow
tooth absecess risk is for how many days after wisdom tooth extraction
please reply me sir
Hi I’m having some discomfort with eating after an implant. My dentist always wants me to take amoxicillin. How many days before do I really need to take it if there is an infection three?
How many days has it been from the day your implant was placed ? Which tooth was replaced – Front or back tooth? Was the crowm immediately placed or time taken between implant placement and crown ?
I have an abscess on my bottom molar, second to last. The pain started in my bottom front teeth, it was throbbing slowly for three days and then the pain started in my molar on day four. Together the pain intensified and became unbearable . I saw a dentist on day five and then an endodontist on day seven. She gave me clindamyacin for 7 days, every 6 hours. There is no swelling of the gums or face, just throbbing in the teeth and jaw and no fistula that was detected.
On day 3 of my antibiotics the pain in the molar went down from a 8 to 1 and the pain in the front bottom teeth went from a 9 to a 3. I finished the antibiotics and the pain in the molar is mostly gone (except when bite down on it and when I eat) but the front teeth are still at a 1 or 2 (and 3 when I eat). It is not sensitive to hot or cold or sweet and the x rays showed no sign of damage or infection. I was told that it must be referred pain from the abscessed molar but why is the pain gone from the molar but still referred to the front teeth (while also skipping the premolar and incisor)? Should I be concerned?
This all happened a about five weeks after a regular dental checkup and cleaning. The initial xrays did not indicate any cavities. However, I did use a hard electric toothbrush a week after the cleaning and brushed too hard against the gum line for two days. I had pain in my teeth and gums for 2 days. Then I switched to a extra soft manual toothbrush and brushed too deep under the gums. I noticed that the gums of the bottom front teeth became red and a week later they started to recede slightly, with very small holes in between the teeth started to form. That’s when the discomfort started there for two days and then it turned to throbbing pain and then the pain in the molar followed.
Did I injure my teeth and gums to the point that I created an infection which lead to the abscess?
Hi, I had a root canal last year which got infected. This week at my check I was told it was loose so it was re cemented. The next day I was in a lot of pain. I have been given 7 days of antibiotics and am in day : but my cheek has now swelled up and the pain is still awful. Iv been told the next appointments to have it attracted is in four weeks. Is it ok to wait that long and if it’s better by then do I really have to have the tooth taken out? Many thanks, Debra
Hi Debra,
It is better you complete the course as Antibiotics take atleast 3 days to start working, As for waiting for 4 weeks it is difficult to comment as the infection might or might not return in the time period. If your pain and swelling returns it need to be attended immediately.
How long does it take after taking antibiotics for an abscess for the swelling in my face to go down? I’ve been on antibiotics for around 36 hours now but the swelling by my eye goes down with ice and then slightly comes back. Is this normal? I have no fever, it doesn’t really hurt right now, and the swelling isn’t terrible.
It depends from person to person and also on multiple other reasons like uncontrolled Diabetes (delays healing), local pus accumulation etc. Normally for a swelling to come donw (Maxillary) it takes anywhere between 3-5 days and may extend upto 7 days for complete intra oral and extra oral swelling to come down. Initially the pain subsides and then the swelling slowly goes down. There is nothing to worry as you are mentioning that pain is not much so the inflammation is coming down
My wisdom tooth cracked and caused a abscess in under my jaw and swollen my face and throat I went to the hospital they gave me clindamycin 150mg and it seem to be working a little then swelled back u again I don’t know what to do my lymph glands ur painful I can’t open my mouth at all !! At this point I don’t know what to do because they can’t pull the tooth out till the swelling is gone should I go back to the hospital and get more ct scans to see why is still like this ?
If the swelling is not coming down and it is extending to your neck. You better go as early as you can as it might be Space Infection which can be quite difficult to treat. It is better to get it checked out as early as possible if the swelling is not coming down or it is spreading to your neck. It can most likely be “Lingual Space Infection”.
I have been taking Kefelx for 7 days now. My abscess goes down each day . It is almost gone but is it bad that it isn’t already gone? I’m not sure how long it’s supposed to take to completely be gone. Thank in advance
Hello, when can I expect a reply for my question above?
There is nothing to worry about, sometimes it takes close to 10 days to 15 days for the swelling to completely disappear, if you are not having any pain or inflammation near the swelling area you are all good.
The pain in relation to your Anterior or Front teeth, most probably seems to be because of Abrasion or erosion. The symptoms which you are mentioning point at any loss of surface enamel which can cause such discomfort and mild to constant pain. Did your Dentist check for any Cervical abrasions or enamel layer being worn out.
As you mentioned that the Gum layer started to recede, the exposure of the subginvial tooth or root can lead to such sensitivity / pain. Referred pain to an abscess in molar tooth can be felt in front teeth but with the decrease in the pain in the molar tooth the pain should and must subside completely in the anterior teeth, if it is still persisting there might be something wrong with the front teeth.
Thanks for your response.
I was scheduled for a root canal last Thursday and while I was there the endo checked for the vitality of the front teeth. She did an ice test on them and took an xray of the area. She determined that the teeth are vital because the xray did not show any signs of decay and I felt the sensation of cold on them. My first question is wouldn’t I feel the sensation of cold regardless of the teeths’ vitality because the ice stick is very cold?
By the way, the root canal failed because there is a deep crack in the molar. She cleaned up the infection and sealed it temporarily and now I am scheduled for an extraction and bone graft in preparation for an implant. So the molar is still in my mouth, the infection has gone down and I feel tenderness in the gums around that area as well as a tingling sensation, like a low level throbbing, in my front teeth still. My second question is that does it matter that the sensations that I am feeling between the molar and the front teeth are different, do they point to separate problems? The area around the molar is sore and the pain in my front teeth is throbbing, as if it is coming from the nerve inside the teeth and not around the teeth.
I did not fully explain to the endo that the pain in my front teeth started BEFORE the molar. The pain showed up a week after I traumatize my gums from brushing too hard under the gum line and the gingival in between the teeth started falling off. The pain level started at a 1 and then went up to a 3 within a day or two. During that time, I was clenching my teeth and biting down hard to try to stop the throbbing. Then on day 3 the pain in the molar started and the pain level in the molar went from a 3 to a 9 within a few hours and kept me up that night. Coincidentally, the pain in my front teeth also went up to 9 that evening and my entire jaw was in pain as well.
Since the antibiotics and the cleaning of the abscess in the molar, the pain in both the molar and the front teeth has gone down. The pain in the molar is at a 2 and still mostly involves a tenderness in the gums and the front is at a 2 and still feels like it’s tingling. The pain in both areas increases each time I eat and floss. I have not told the endo and perio this since it is something that I noticed after I saw them. So the last question is are the pain in my front teeth and molar still related? Should I wait and see if the pain the front teeth goes away after the molar is extracted or should I continue to investigate? I am worried that if I wait too long and if the problems are unrelated then it will be too late to save my front teeth.
I’ve already seen three dentists, a perio and an endo and they all seem to concur that the pain is still referred. Although I was not able to explain fully the timeline of when the pain in my front teeth showed up and the events leading up to it. Also I did not explain that the pain in my front teeth is a throbbing pain and not just soreness. I feel like I am crazy for questioning their expertise but I am still feeling all this and I don’t know what to do.
Hi I had tooth ache the third from top right, the side of my face is swollen up and is getting worse. I took some antibiotics but my face swelling keeps getting worse. It has now been nearly 2 days I struggle to eat I have to force myself in order to get the tabs down, I haven’t slept and I am constantly aching, my face is in agony and I have to wait nearly 2 weeks for a follow up appointment in which case I’d of probably smashed the tooth out myself with a hammer! Help I’m struggling when will things get better
Its good that you have got some relief from the pain, it appears that the pain in the front and molar tooth are related to some extent.
You need to wait atleast 3 days for the antibiotics to take action and let your immune system fight the infection. Wait for a couple more days and if the swelling is not coming down, head to your Dentist immediately taking an emergency appointment as it can as well turn into a Space infection. Just give it a couple more days.
I broke a back bottom tooth it needed a root canal because there was decay. I didn’t have much pain in the broken tooth so I carried on thinking there was no big deal, but my front bottom teeth were hurting me. It felt like I had over flossed or just had inflamed gums. Turns out the broken tooth had a major infection and needed a root canal. The days prior to the root canal and the day after the root canal my front bottom teeth are in unbelievable pain. Endodontist said that PERHAPS the front teeth pain will go away over the next few days. I’m on antibiotics and praying for some relief. Could the back broken infected tooth cause referred pain to my front teeth ?? If so, then I’m hopeful that I’ll have relief soon.
Hi Dr,
I have an abscess on a top molar that had a root canal years ago. There is no swelling, just a tiny bit on the gum above the tooth with a white dot full of pus
I don’t feel any pain just discomfort when I chew on that side.
I’ve been to the dentist and he gave me Amoxycilin for 6 days. The white dot keeps clearing up and filling up.
Does that mean the infection is still active ?
I have an appointment next week for extraction. I heard that anesthesia doesn’t work on infected teeth. Is that true ? Do I need more antibiotic till there’s no more pus before extraction ?
Thanks
If you have taken Antibiotics for 6 days, the Local anesthesia will work do not worry. And yes the infection is back again.
Hi! I had a very large abscess at the roots of one of my lower molars which was causing swelling and dull pain over my jaw, lower face and up into my ear. My dentist prescribed amoxicillin and I finished that course, most of the pain and swelling receded, but the bump where the abscess is was still quite large. I asked my doctor (as I can’t afford to go to my dentist more often than absolutely necessary) and he gave me another course of stronger antibiotics (cephalexin) which I’ve also completed. There is no longer any pain from it at all and the swelling other than the abscess itself seems to be pretty much gone, but the bump where the abscess is is still pretty sizable and firm to the touch. My dentist referred me to an endodontist for a dog canal, but they can’t see me until October 2018. I’m wondering if I should go back to my dentist or doctor and ask for more antibiotics or if anything needs to be done about the abscess bump – if we leave it as it is to October will it be a problem or can it wait? Is there some intermediate treatment my dentist could or should do in the meantime? I really want to save the tooth if possible and (long story) this abcess had been causing trouble over 7 months now. Thank you for any advice you can offer!
Whoops that should say *root canal
It is a typical case of tooth abscess and the waiting time till october is quite long and it is better you get it treated before it becomes un treatable. In the present situation it is quite clear that a Root canal Treatment and subsequent placement of Crown can be done to save the tooth. In case the tooth becomes grossly decayed and becomes difficult to treat you might end up getting it extracted.
If you have no other option but to wait till October, you can ask your dentist for more antibiotics which can be used when you see any symptoms.
Thank you!
Hi, I just had a wisdom tooth surgery on my right side and was prescribed metronidazole and augmentin, which has to be completed as per advice. May I know if its standard practice to prescribe 2 antibioitcs ?
A couple weeks ago I had a headache which a day later turned into a tooth ache. My dentist wasn’t open so I got some antibiotics (amoxicillin) from my doctor until I was able to schedule an appointment. I have an appointment with my dentist tomorrow and there has been no pain since taking the antibiotics. I don’t have any signs of an abscessed tooth (at least from what I’ve seen online) but I do have a small bump on my gum (which has gone down in size since I first noticed it last week) and there is no puss coming out of it, nor does it taste bad. I don’t have any pain whatsover on that side of my mouth. So I’m wondering what do you think this could be? I realize that my dentist appointment is in 24 hours but I am curious to know what you’re opinion is.
Hi ive an abscess upper molar back pain a 9 been to dentist prescribed amox 500 mg TDS and panadiene 500/30 QDS not relieved the pain went to ED Dept and given endone 5 mg was good for a few hrs then back with vengence my cheek noticably swollen very worried havent been able to sleep at all do you think iv amox would be better though i only just started oral abs 10 hrs ago, in tears with the pain
Hello:)
I am 36 weeks pregnant and have got a tooth abscess. I am currently on day 2 of taking 500mg amoxicillin every 8 hours. My face is swollen quite a bit. The only things that’s worrying me is my dentist has said she won’t do anything work until I have had my baby and that would be totally fine if I hadn’t had an abscess already last month and antibiotics didn’t work for that one – in the end she had to take the nerve out. Please help I’m so worried incase these antibiotics don’t work either and I’m left in pain till I have my baby:(
As the nerve has been removed, the first step of Root canal treatment has started, your dentist is right in suggesting that he/she cannot do any prolonged procedures on the affected tooth due to the complications which can arise in your pregnancy.
Once the pulp tissue has been removed hte infection and abscess reduces considerably faster and the antibiotics work much better as well. So do not worry and enjoy your pregnancy and the tooth can be treated after your delivery.
Ammoxicillin + Calvulinic acid is the best option for your case is what I feel from what you have described.