# OWW it hurts (tmi) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 6, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794 "2004-10-06T03:21:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![frenetic\_amnesic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@frenetic\_amnesic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frenetic_amnesic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/1 "2004-10-06T03:21:26Z")
Ok I hope this is the right place to post this. I have a swollen abcess tooth and it is really painful due to the swelling. Is there any way I can maybe pop it, and is this dangerous? I don’t have any insurance and am currently unemployed, so if I let it go on will it eventually heal? 😕 :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/2 "2004-10-06T03:26:32Z")
I’d say, go to your local hospital’s ER, which may have an emergency dental clinic. They can negotiate a deal regarding a patient’s ability to pay due to lack of insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/3 "2004-10-06T03:31:07Z")
> [@frenetic amnesic](#): > > so if I let it go on will it eventually heal? [Probably not a good idea](http://www.healthscout.com/ency/416/642/main.html): > [@](#): > > Failure to treat an abscess can lead to serious infection as the pus spreads. Fever and malaise intensify when the infection penetrates the bone marrow of the jaw, producing osteomyelitis. > > Prompt antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention in more extreme cases are usually successful in limiting the abscess or osteomyelitis, although often not before extensive and permanent damage has been done. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/4 "2004-10-06T04:05:28Z")
I wouldn’t mess with it, and I’d get my butt to a dentist pronto. My dentist does payments, since I don’t have insurance. Find one who does and tell them it’s an emergency. By the way, I’m sorry your tooth hurts. Dental pain is just horrid. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/5 "2004-10-06T04:13:50Z")
I don’t want to alarm you but you really do need to get that taken care of right away like tonight or tomorrow morning. My best friend’s uncle died after his tooth abcessed and a sudden infection set in. He was gone with little warning. Think of it this way. You have to get it taken care of eventually. You better make it now. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/6 "2004-10-06T04:27:48Z")
> [@frenetic amnesic](#): > > Ok I hope this is the right place to post this. I have a swollen abcess tooth and it is really painful due to the swelling. Is there any way I can maybe pop it, and is this dangerous? I don’t have any insurance and am currently unemployed, so if I let it go on will it eventually heal? 😕 :mad: Tooth abcesses are serious crap. Get yourself to dentist pronto. Most states have medical and dental assistance for people without funds. Look into it. What state are you in? ---
**Author:** ![frenetic\_amnesic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@frenetic\_amnesic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frenetic_amnesic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/7 "2004-10-06T04:38:25Z")
ok well the swelling has gone way down and this is not the first i’ve had but i always freak out when it starts hurting so bad. I’ve been shot before (long story) but this pain was way worse than that was! I’ll look into going to the dentist tommorow but like i said it just popped and drained now it’s not really even swollen! Geez I hate those! thanks for all your prompt replies, even though they really freaked me out! ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/8 "2004-10-06T05:07:35Z")
NO!!! They don’t (or at least it’s really, really rare) heal. Typically what happens is it keeps eating up bone and spreading the infection. You can lose several teeth from it and people have died from abcesses. Back in the good old days, pre 1900 or so, this wasn’t really uncommon. The tooth is probably dead and the root is a rotting mess. Can’t afford a root canel, get it pulled. Mucho cheaper right now. Later when you’re rich and famous you can get a bridge. Hope it’s in the back. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/9 "2004-10-06T13:17:49Z")
I recall that lots of times when watching shows where they dig up the bones of people who lived long ago (like mummies), that an untreated tooth abcess has been the cause of death. Don’t screw around with this, it’s serious. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2004, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/10 "2004-10-06T19:44:51Z")
If all the other warnings didn’t scare you enough, think about how close that infection is to your BRAIN. I had a friend get a brain abcess from an infected piercing. GO NOW. Don’t wait. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oww-it-hurts-tmi/267794/11 "2004-10-07T05:07:54Z")
Yes, get it seen to promptly. If you are near a University that has a Dental School, you can often get dental work done at a much lower cost than a regular dentist. You’ll have students working on you, but they are supervised by instructors and graded on their work – they are quite careful about their work. But they may work slower than an experienced dentist. And the Dental School can make arrangements for payment plans just like other dentists.