<human>: Hello, In January, I had root canal treatment on a premolar (number 25?). When I went back to have the crown fitted, my dentist decided she needed to do a root canal treatment on the adjacent molar (number 26), which had caused the problem in the first place (cavity spreading from that molar to the premolar). As I live abroad, and could only go back to have the crown fitted at the beginning of March, she put a heavy-duty temporary dressing on. Unfortunately, I was unable to go back in March. At the end of March, the dressing was beginning thinner, and one evening, the cap sealing the tooth moved: I had to yank it back on. Over the course of the next days, the gum above that tooth became tender and I eventually developed an abscess , the size of a molar. The lymph node under the same side of the jaw was also swollen and tender. I managed to see a dentist where I am (hard work!). She removed what was left of the dressing, cleaned the inside of the tooth, put a new dressing on, and, after some hesitation, lanced the abscess (not very easy as you had to press very hard to get something to come out, and then it was more blood than pus, yuk!). She gave me a prescription of amoxicillin 250mg, 3 times a day for 5 days, and told me to do mouthwashs with salt water, and to keep pressing the abscess to try and evacuate the pus if I could. I did as told, except for the abscess pressing which did not seem to work very well. The antibiotic worked like magic and the abscess had completely disappeared by the end of the 3rd day. It s now been 5 days since the end of the treatment, and I m wondering whether I could start going to the swimming pool again, before I see my dentist in 2 weeks time. When I had my wisdom teeth extracted, I was banned from swimming for 2 weeks when all went well, and a whole month when the wound for one of them didn t heal and became infected. I feel well now, the molar is no longer wobbly and the gum has healed where the dentist lanced it. Thanks in advance. Regards.
<bot>: Hi, I am very happy to see your long and elaborated dental history. Swelling and mobility in the tooth appeared due to the acute exacerbation of chronic infection in the tooth. Once dentist puncture the abscess and put you on antibiotic that's why you got the relief. About swimming there is no contraindication but the precaution you have to take is get your treatment finished as soon as possible. So that such periapical infection will not occur again. Thanks,