How to drain a tooth abscess at home + antibiotics for tooth abscess
What is the best antibiotic for a tooth abscess? Amoxicillin is usually the first choice for treating an abscess. In some cases, your doctor may also prescribe metronidazole or clindamycin, especially if you are allergic to amoxicillin or have a more severe infection. These medications should be taken as directed by your doctor.
Since a tooth abscess can be very painful in its more serious stages, pain medication should be taken to manage the pain. Note that pain medication prescribed for tooth abscess pain only relieves the pain and cannot prevent the infection from spreading. Therefore, antibiotics are needed to control the infection and suppress it.
It is important to note that antibiotics are not usually prescribed for early stages of a tooth abscess, but if the infection is severe or spreads, or if it is not possible to drain the tooth abscess, antibiotics are prescribed to help control the infection.
Antibiotics commonly prescribed for dental abscesses include:
Penicillin
Amoxicillin (alone or in combination with clavulanate)
Azithromycin
Metronidazole
Cefoxitin
Clindamycin may also be prescribed if the patient is allergic to amoxicillin or penicillin.
Combination of medication and surgery
Penicillin is a common antibiotic used to treat mild to moderate infections, but the other medications mentioned in the previous section may also be prescribed.
However, because antibiotics alone do not always penetrate a tooth abscess well, a tooth abscess may also be drained surgically.