Hey there! So yesterday I had to get a dental abcess popped. Said abcess was in my front right, top tooth and was causing a lot of pain. I did not know until yesterday that I had an abcess and got it drained then and there by the emergency dentist (who was not my own dentist). I am paranoid however that the infection isn't completely gone, and it makes me especially paranoid because I have a heart condition. I cannot risk getting infections especially if it gets into the blood stream, my own heart surgeon has even told me that I'm more susceptible to gum disease etc because of said heart condition.

Both the dentist and I were stumped as to how I got said abcess as there is no chips or cracks on my tooth. I did tell her that I'm an avid teeth grinder to which she told me teeth grinding (bruxism) doesn't typically cause an abcess.

So, should I have been prescribed an antibiotic? Does an abcess always require an antibiotic?