Resolved question:
I have had severe night sweats since Sunday Nov 10,2013. Found a small bump on my gum and dentist said it was an abcess and put me on antibiotics Monday with a root canal being done on Friday. I am a 50 yo married male. Sweating is so profuse, i am drenching in the AM. Can an abcess cause these night sweats? No other symptoms. Worried it could be serious. Going on a 2 week vacation on Nov 25.
Submitted:
4 Days
Category:
Internal Medicine Specialist
Yes an abscess can absolutely cause these symptoms. It is a good thing you are on antibiotics and it seems as though you are on the right track with your treatment. I would suggest however that if the symptoms of infection are not letting up, consider a change in antibiotics. Do not stop or change treatment until you discuss with your dentist other alternatives. Once the infection is effectively under control you can continue with the root canal as scheduled by your dentist. The root canal will clear the infection completely (in most cases) as that is the goal of the procedure.
The condition may become serious if not treated appropriately as the infection has potential to spread. Stay with your treatment plan until you recover. Take care. Please ask any follow up questions if any.
My dentist seemed to indicate that another infection somewhere else in my body could have triggered the tooth abcess. Said he did not want to scare me but he sure did. He indicated that there is a slight chance it could be more serious. i have no fever and I do not sweat during the day. However, I have been waking up drenched since Sunday night around 3 am and of course cannot get back to sleep. Dentist has me on Amoxicillin which I started Monday evening. Small abcess on my gum above the tooth has significantly reduced in size. Should I worry that it is more serious or is this pretty common reaction to infection? I am just concerned as i am going on a 2 week cruise on the 25th and don't want to get worse on the ship. Thanks much.
Hello,
This kind of reaction is not unusual for a gum abscess. However it is bit early to comment. Since you have an abscess, it is completely logical to attribute the symptoms to that abscess itself. There is no reason to suspect that the gum abscess is due to a lesion elsewhere.
However if the symptoms persist /or if the abscess is not resolving you will need to do some blood investigation (complete blood count, Fasting blood sugar, Pus culture). In that scenario there are three possibilities:
1. The antibiotic is not strong enough to treat the infection
2. The abscess needs drainage
3. There is an infection elsewhere in the body as suspected by your Dentist.
So please continue the medication for a couple more days. If the symptom persists have an evaluation in the above recommended lines.
Thank you