Dental Abscess, Lanark: A Swollen Face or Throbbing Tooth?
An abscess is a collection of infection, at the tip of a root in the jawbone or in the gum beside a tooth, and it won't go away until the tooth is dealt with. Our Lanark practice keeps same-day appointments on weekdays for abscesses, at £85, for registered and non-registered patients alike. Painkillers can take the edge off and antibiotics can sometimes settle things for a while, but neither will cure it.An abscess only clears when the tooth is treated. Same-day weekday appointments in Lanark, £85.
The emergency fee is £85 (£85 if you aren't registered here) and there's no charge on our dental plans. Out of hours, phone NHS 24 on 111. 1
Ring 999 or Go to A&E If
Any of these can mean the infection is spreading past the tooth. That's rare, but it needs hospital care rather than a dental chair.
Could It Be an Abscess?
Before Your Visit
These help you feel more comfortable, but none will treat the infection itself.
Take Pain Relief Regularly
If they're suitable for you, take paracetamol or ibuprofen at the recommended dose and at regular times, rather than only when it gets bad. Never press aspirin against the gum; it will burn the tissue.
Gentle Salt Water Rinses
Stir half a teaspoon of salt into a mug of warm water and rinse with it several times a day. Don't squeeze or poke the swelling, as that can drive the infection deeper.
A Cold Compress and Extra Pillow
Hold a cold pack wrapped in a cloth against your cheek for ten minutes at a time to reduce swelling. Sleeping propped up helps with throbbing at night. Don't put heat on your face.
Call Us the Same Day
Phone 01555 662441 as soon as we open, or book online. Outside our hours, call NHS 24 on 111, who'll assess you and direct you to urgent care.
Treating an Abscess
First we ease the pressure, then we tackle the cause so the infection doesn't return.
Finding the Source
An examination and an X-ray show us where the infection started: a nerve that has died inside the tooth, a pocket in the gum next to it, or a partly erupted wisdom tooth.
Draining the Infection
Most of the pain is caused by pressure building up. With the area numbed, we open the tooth or release the swelling, which gives real relief and normally happens at your first appointment.
Keeping the Tooth
Where the tooth can be saved, we take out the infected nerve tissue, clean inside the root canals and fill them. This is root canal treatment, from £450, and we can often begin it at the same visit.
Removing the Tooth
If a tooth is too badly damaged to keep, an extraction (from £125) gets rid of the source of infection. If you're nervous, IV sedation is an option.
Abscesses in the Gum
If the infection is in a pocket of the gum, we clean thoroughly beneath the gumline, then deal with the underlying gum disease through our gum treatment programme.
When Antibiotics Help
We prescribe them if the infection is spreading, you have a fever, or the swelling can't be drained right away. They're used with treatment, not instead of it, because they can't reach inside a tooth with a dead nerve.
Why It Won't Just Go Away
Once a nerve has died, the bacteria inside the tooth are sealed off where your body's defences can't get to them. If the abscess drains by itself the pain can ease for weeks, yet the infection stays in the bone and tends to come back, often more severely.
Over time it can eat away the bone supporting the root, and a tooth that might have been saved can be lost. Early treatment is simpler, costs less and is easier on you.
Costs
The emergency visit has a single fee, and any further treatment is quoted in writing before we start. Fees last checked October 2026. 1
| Emergency visit for our patients | £85 |
| Emergency visit, non-registered patient | £85 |
| Urgent removal of an infected nerve | £110 |
| Front tooth root canal | £450 |
| Premolar root canal | £525 |
| Molar root canal | £595 |
| Simple extraction | £125 |
| Intravenous (IV) sedation, each session | £500 |
| Surgical or wisdom tooth extraction | £450 |
Questions
Antibiotics, dangers and saving the tooth.
Dealing with Toothache
Toothache at night or the weekend: next steps
Root canal treatment: what happens and what it costs
Dental emergency? What to do and who to call
Wisdom teeth: when to remove them and when to wait
Abscess or Swelling? Call Us Today
We see abscesses on the day, every weekday, in Lanark, whether or not you're registered. Go to A&E straight away if your breathing or swallowing is affected.