Is this an abscess? Apologies for such a gross picture

[hippoherostandinghere]

I'm sorry to attach such a gross picture but this has been driving me mad.
I developed this swelling above my front tooth about 10 days ago.
I had an emergency dentist appointment on Monday and he said it was an abscess and offered me a course of antibiotics or a root canal treatment. He told me I might end up with discolouring of the tooth as he would have to kill the nerve so that put me right off and I took the antibiotics. I've taken the full course and the swelling hasn't reduced at all.
No I'm doubting if it even is an abscess or some other sort of growth.
Any wisdom?

In my experience abscesses don't respond too well to ABs. I've had several due to my teeth cracking thanks to clenching hard in my sleep. Mouthguards I bit straight through them too!

To answer your question, yours does look just like an abcess I had in exactly the same place. However, I had a crown there rather than my own tooth, so more drastic action was required if I was to avoid a full gap there.

My dentist sent me to a specialist dentist who, rather than remove the crown, drill through the tooth root, clean it all out, then re - crown it, he went in through the gum above the root line using a 3cm incision. Cleaned it all out, stitched it up, and made a fantastic job of it. It was done privately mind - the best £700 I've ever spent!

Hope you get yours sorted.

Yes. It's an abscess. The nerves and blood supply are already dead hence the pus you can see under the mucous membrane. You will need to have the root canal cleared of infection and filled. Antibiotics will help short term, but the infection will recur unless the source of the infection is removed.

Thank you both for you replies. I'm just so worried I'm going to end up with a blackened tooth if they do the root canal?
But it looks like this isn't going to go away without the root canal?
Does anyone know if they can just drain the abscess?
T

If the tooth dies it discolours anyway. I had the same procedure as @IHearTheMermaidsSinging and while they used white to fill it , it has still gone a bit grey.

The dead nerve and blood vessels in the tooth are the problem- they’re causing the swelling/infection.
either have the root treatment, or extract the tooth.
It won’t go away long term with just antibiotics, or being drained/cut into.
can bleach the tooth after RCT, can work well if done properly.

If it was one of my back teeth I would have already had the root canal. I'm just concerned because it's a front tooth. Last thing I want is an extraction on a front tooth.

It won't resolve without either an RCT or an extraction. Drainage via incision ( +- antibiotics ) is not definitive treatment OP.
Internal /external bleaching will help address the aesthetics longer term. You don't really have a choice here OP.

Try flossing/tepe brushing between your teeth to see if you can drain the abscess. The infection is getting in somewhere.
Book a dental appointment and in the meantime gargle with warm, very salty, water. This is also good for antibiotic / drainage. Put salt directly on the bump.
I have a root canal in the tooth next to the big one at the front, and it has not turned black, or even grey but you do need a dental appointment for that.

Can the abscess be poped ? Cut to drain the puss ?
Thanks

ps. Sorry to pipe into thread.

Granny solution. Get some bicarbonate of soda and rub it along your gum where the abscess is several times a day until its gone.

I would hope it has gone by now since OP posted last October @MummyPencil

Each post has a date on it, it is worth checking them before posting.

Thank you @LittleGreenDragons

I was asking about that for my abscess 😁

Thank you anyway