Can i pop a dental abscess? i think i have a dental abscess. it's soft and squishy. it doesn't really hurt but it's annoying. already had the tooth drained or whatever dentists do. can i pop it if i use a sterile needle?

If : If your infection has been treated and then the abcess has returned, you need to go back to the dentist who is treating you so that he/she can evaluate your condition. It is possible that you need additional antibiotics to clear up your infection and allow your dentist to treat your problematic tooth.

You : You can pop it to relieve pressure of infection and combine with antibiotics to treat the infection for short term, but you still need to see dentist to find out the cause of infection and treat the root of it.

ONLY IF: You are a dentist. In unskilled hands you might do more harm than good. Instead, i would urge you to see a dentist asap, as an infection any place in your body is not something to fool around with. People have had extremely serious complications, or even death, from untreated dental infections.

NO! : No! very simply, the chance of you doing any good by "popping" the abcess is far outweighed by the possibility of you doing damage. The fact that it has been drained and still fills up indicates that the source of the infection has not been resolved and your active infection needs immediate attention by you dentist. Put down the needle and pick up the telephone!

See a dentist: You have an infection. It needs to be treated. Popping can relieve some of the pressure that you feel but it will not cure the infection. Please see a dentist and get this treated. Without treatment things will progress and get worse. You may not have so much pain because there can be drainage, but the infection is still there. It can effect the rest of your body.