I had an abscessed tooth, and must wait at least another 10 days to get it extracted. I was on 7 days of antibiotics, the last one being today but I ve noticed tenderness where the initial lump was. Is this cause for concern, or just the continued healing process?
Hi, If you have an abscessed tooth then taking antibiotics for 7 days is sufficient and after this you can proceed for extraction under antibiotic cover for another 3-5 days. If there is severe infection with a lot of pus and swelling then you can complete 10 days of antibiotics and go for extraction and even after extraction you need antibiotics for another one week or a minimum of 5 days.  The tenderness of lump is due to infection only and not a part of healing. So it is advisable to get checked by your dentist and if now it is fine you get the tooth removed. Also, you can do warm saline gargles and antiseptic mouthwash gargles. Apply Lidocaine gel over the lump to reduce soreness and pain. Take anti-inflammatory painkiller like Advil along with antibiotics.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.