“tooth abscess”
I had a deep cleaning on my teeth early this year and a couple of days after a tooth abscess developed. The doctor prescribed me with antibiotics but it took about a month for the abscess to go away. I took the issue to my primary doctor and she wrote me a referral to see an ENT doctors. Will they be able to treat the abscess and how?
Female | 51 years old
Complaint duration: 6 months
Medications: none
Conditions: tooth abscess
5 Answers
Impossible to say without an examination and more history, but a tooth abscess is generally more of a dentistry problem.
If the abscess truly started from a dental related origin, it may be best to consult with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon given his or her expertise with dentistry as the initial part of the training. Additionally, treating an abscess secondary to an oral cause is part of their training and something they could easily manage.
A true abscess is an acute process and is usually quite painful. It should either have drained and resolved or expanded and caused problems that would have demanded immediate attention. If it is a real, chronic dental problem, such as a periodical abscess, then you most likely need the services of an oral surgeon who would be more able to deal directly with this type of problem. However, I have doubts about the actual diagnosis and a consultation with an ENT doctor may help clear this up and suggest or provide more appropriate treatment.
I think your best bet is to find a good reliable dentist and visit him for a second opinion. He has the special X-rays needed to evaluate a posible abscess and any possible damage in the root of the teeth. ENT doctors do not have the equipment to do so. Good luck.
ENTs do not do dentistry. See an endodontist.
