My son has been complaining about a spot on his gums that is irritated. It has been a few days now and he says he must have cut it on a hard piece of food or something. As a mom, I’m worried about it of course. When I took a closer look at it, I think I saw some junk ooze out of it. He told me it’s no big deal, but he also says he had to drain it a couple times today. Does this sounds like any kind of dental emergency or should I give it some time?
– Sandra in Washington
Sandra,
Any kind of irritation or sore in the mouth that is oozing is a dental emergency. Based on the what you described it sounds like your son has an abscess which is an infection. If it was a cut or irritated spot then it would heal up without oozing.
The pus is a result of an infection inside of his tooth. If indeed this is what is going on, you need to schedule an emergency dentist appointment for him to be seen right away. He may end up requiring a root canal treatment where the infection is properly cleaned out. If you don’t act soon, the infection has the potential to spread and he will be in danger of losing the tooth. In severe cases, infections can become life threatening. So it’s best to have this checked out as soon as possible. Swelling, pus, and soreness are all signs of an infection.
This post is sponsored by York PA dentist Donald H. Currie, DMD