<br />
I have a wonderful denist and a wonderful insurance (lucky me!)<br />
Going to see denist tomarrow just scared shes gonna tell me "you gotta have a root canal!" AH! Ive had one before so i know what to expect but just wondering. Thanks everyone so far!<br />

Abscess in the gum does not require root canal. If there is an abscess in the gum, the required course of action is going to the dentist and ask for antibiotics (if you are not allergic to them). If it is not desired to outlay a great deal of money (where there is a fee to see a dentist) the option of seeing a local doctor (family doctor) could be the thing to do. It can also be asked of a local doctor for a prescription of antibiotics to assist in the healing of the abscess (take antibiotics strictly as prescribed). The only time when a root canal is required, is when the nerve is dying in the tooth or if a cavity is too close to the nerve just to be filled with a filling. Good Luck! : )

That can be very bothersome, but you probably need to get penicillin, or other antibiotic. Then you should wait for about a week to get it down, because usually the dentist can't work on you tooth until the abcess is down enough to go in there. So put cold on your cheeks and get lots of rest. Find out if your parents have insurance for your dental visits, that's always a good thing to have. And try to find a competent dentist.