What is done for a dental abscess?

Root Canal / Extract: A dental abscess is caused by the liquefaction of the dental pulp inside the tooth, with or without infection. It will not heal itself, but can be treated by a dentist either with root canal therapy or extraction. See a dentist for proper diagnosis and treatment options.

Treat the infection: "abscess" is used in the vernacular for many different conditions. But clinically it is usually the result of a bacterial infection either inside or outside the tooth. This must be dealt with to resolve the problem. It may involve root canal therapy, extraction or gum treatment, for example.

Incision + drainage: The treatment is usually "incision and drainage" which means cut it open and let the pus drain out. They can be tough to get numb sometimes. However, sometimes the only treatment is taking an antibiotic. You need to treat the cause, not just the symptoms.

Dentist: See dentist. You may require antibiotics, treatment or extraction of the tooth. If abscess into soft tissues, you may require incision and drainage procedure.