Dental abscess · Lynchburg, VA
Swelling or throbbing pain? Call us now.
A dental abscess doesn't heal on its own, but it is very treatable. We answer the phone around the clock and hold same-day emergency slots Monday to Friday. First, check the ER signs below.
Answered 24/7 · Same-day slots Mon to Fri
Go to the ER instead if any of these are true
Most abscesses belong in a dental chair. A small number belong in the emergency room, and those come first:
- Swelling that's affecting your breathing or swallowing.
- Swelling spreading toward your eye or down your neck.
- A fever above 101°F along with facial swelling.
If any of those describe you, go to the Lynchburg General Hospital ER, call them at (434) 200-3000, or call 911. A hospital can manage a spreading infection in ways a dental office can't. For everything else on this page, call us at 540-315-3725 and we'll get you in.
While you wait for your visit
These won't treat the infection, but they'll keep you more comfortable between the phone call and the chair:
- Warm salt water rinses. Swish gently a few times a day. It soothes the gum and helps keep the area clean.
- A cold compress on the outside of the cheek. Cold calms swelling and dulls the ache. Skip heat on the face; it tends to make swelling worse.
- Over-the-counter pain relief, taken exactly as the package directs. Stay ahead of the pain rather than chasing it.
- Leave the bump alone. If there's a pimple-like bump on the gum, don't squeeze or pop it. And if it drains on its own and the pain eases, that's relief, not recovery; the infection is still there and still needs care.
What a dental abscess actually is
An abscess is a pocket of infection, either at the tip of a tooth's root or in the gum alongside it. Bacteria find a way in, usually through deep decay, a crack, or a deep gum pocket, and your body walls the infection off. That wall is why an abscess builds pressure, why the ache often throbs, and why it can show up as a pimple-like bump on the gum where the pressure finds an exit. It's also why an abscess never truly heals on its own: the source of the infection is sealed away where your immune system can't finish the job. The pain may ebb and flow, but until the source is treated, the infection stays. That's not said to alarm you. It's said so you don't spend three more weeks hoping, when one visit can start fixing it.
What treatment looks like at our office
First we find the source. A focused exam and an X-ray usually settle within minutes whether the infection is coming from inside the tooth or from the gum beside it, and which tooth is the culprit. Then we deal with the infection itself: when there's built-up pressure, draining it brings relief that many patients describe as immediate, and we prescribe antibiotics when it's clinically appropriate to keep a spreading infection in check.
Then comes the lasting fix, because draining an abscess without treating its source just invites it back. If the tooth can be saved, a root canal clears the infection from inside the tooth and keeps it in your mouth. If it can't, an extraction removes the source for good, and we talk through replacement options when you're ready. Both happen in-house at our Thomson Drive office: Dr. Kim and Dr. Azevedo handle root canals and extractions here, on the same X-rays, without a referral across town. Our 15 operatories are a big part of why we can say yes to same-day emergency visits, Monday to Friday.
Why waiting doesn't work
We understand the instinct to wait, especially if the pain fades for a day or two. But an untreated abscess tends to move in one direction: the infection slowly spreads into surrounding bone and soft tissue, treatment gets more involved, and a tooth that could have been saved with a root canal can become a tooth that needs to come out. Caught early, an abscess is a very routine fix. That's the whole case for calling today instead of next week. If cost is the thing making you hesitate, the Virginia Dental Club ($279 a year, 20% off treatment) and our financing options exist precisely so it doesn't have to be.
One call gets it moving
Whenever you're reading this, the next step is the same: 540-315-3725. Our smart answering system picks up 24/7, nights and weekends included, and books you on the spot, typically into a same-day or next-morning emergency slot. Treatment happens during office hours, Monday through Friday 8 to 5. You don't have to tough it out until morning just to get on the schedule, and you don't have to figure out on your own whether it's serious. Call, tell us what you're feeling, and let us take it from there.
Reviewed by Dr. Jihoon Kim, DDS, July 2026
Common questions
Frequently asked
- What if I call after hours?
- You'll still reach us. Our smart answering system picks up around the clock, nights and weekends included, and gets you scheduled on the spot, typically into a same-day or next-morning emergency slot. Treatment itself happens during office hours, Monday through Friday 8 to 5. If your symptoms match any of the ER signs on this page, though, don't wait for a dental appointment; go to the emergency room.
- What does an abscess feel like?
- Usually a deep, throbbing ache that's often worse when you lie down, sometimes with swelling in the gum, cheek, or jaw, a bad taste in the mouth, or a small pimple-like bump on the gum near the tooth. Some people also feel generally run down. If any of that sounds familiar, it's worth a call today.
- Will it go away on its own?
- No, and that's the honest answer. An abscess is an infection with a protected source inside the tooth or gum, and your body can't clear it without help. The pressure may come and go, and a bump that drains can make things feel better for a while, but the infection is still there until the source is treated.
- The bump on my gum popped and the pain got better. Am I in the clear?
- No. When the bump drains, pressure drops and pain often eases, but the infection that created it hasn't gone anywhere. It will keep smoldering and usually returns. Please don't squeeze or pop the bump yourself, and do call us even if you're feeling better.
- Will I need antibiotics?
- Sometimes. Antibiotics can help control an infection that's spreading, and we prescribe them when it's clinically appropriate. What they can't do is fix the source, so they're a supporting player, not the treatment itself. The lasting fix is treating the tooth or gum where the infection lives.
- Will the tooth need a root canal or an extraction?
- It depends on where the infection is and how much healthy tooth is left. When the tooth is worth saving, a root canal clears the infection from inside it and keeps it in your mouth. When it isn't, removing the tooth is the kindest fix. We do both in-house, we'll show you what we see on the X-ray, and we'll talk through the options before anything happens.
- What will it cost?
- The emergency exam and X-rays are a modest, defined cost, and you get a clear quote before any treatment. No insurance? Virginia Dental Club members ($279 a year) get 20% off treatment, and financing can spread larger repairs into monthly payments. An abscess treated this week is almost always simpler and less expensive than the same abscess treated next month.
Don't wait this one out
An abscess treated early is a small problem. Call 540-315-3725 any hour, and we'll get you on the schedule before you hang up.