Am i in any serious trouble i had five teeth pulled 15 hours ago and at least two of them had an abscess. the dentist could not drain them before pulling because the pus was still hard. i have been on anti biotics for 41 hours. now the pus is draining ove

You : You have been put on antibiotics to contain the infection and to prevent its spread. The draining that you are experiencing is the infection leaving your body via the path of least resistance and this is probably the desired result. If you feel as though you are experiencing any ill effects such as heat, swelling or general malaise, or if you just want to make certain that all is ok, call your dentist and have him take a look. But by no means should you stop the antibiotic.

This : This is indicative that there is an active infection is present in the mouth. The fact that the infection is draining indicates that your body is mounting a response to the infection as the pus is a collection of white blood cells that have come to the site of the infection to fight it. The fact that the infection is draining into the mouth lessens the possibility that it will spread deeper into the tissues. Once the source of the infection is removed the combination of the your body's natural defense mechanisms and the antibiotics should adequately fight the infection. You need to take antibiotics for 7 to 10 days to get the proper benefit. It is not unusual to not be able to "drain" an infection early in the process there may not be any "pus" (white blood cells) yet. Instead the swelling is due to cellulitis which is a diffuse accumulation of fluids in the infected tissue. Even though there is no pus, i will typically try to surgically enter the infected area an place a drain for a few days. This does two thing. First it creates a pathway to direct future drainage away from deeper tissues and vital structures. Secondly, there are some bacterial that cannot live in the presence of oxygen. By draining the area we are introducing more oxygen deeper into the tissues to help kill these anaerobic bacteria.

Always : Always you should be able to contact your dentist if you have any concerns about your treatment or recovery. Though it sounds as if all is going well. The antibiotics generally take 48 - 72 hours to kick in and start making you feel better. However, there is a small percentage of cases that do not respond to the particular antibiotics you are using and the infection actually can get dramatically worse very quickly. That is why you should contact your dentist if there are questions regarding this.

The : The drainage of pus through the tooth socket is a positive sign that the infection is coming to a head. I recommend salt water rinses and gently push on the swollen area to promote more drainage of the infection. Continue to take the antibiotics for the rest of the week. I would also let your dentist know about your progress and see him or her soon for a follow up appointment.

Incomplete ?: If you have hard swelling, you need to go to the er now. If not hard, see the oral surgeon tomorrow am. Go get this checked out.