Health Advice
- Weight Management
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- Acne
- Child Health
- Pain
- Oral Care & Hygiene
- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
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- First aid
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- Acupuncture
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- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
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- Alcohol misuse
- Alcohol poisoning
- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
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- Amniocentesis
- Amputation
- Motor neurone disease
- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
- Anal fissure
- Brain aneurysm
- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
- Angina
- Angioedema
- Arteriography
- Stent insertion
- Dog bites
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- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anorexia nervosa
- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
- Penicillin
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- Antidepressants
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- Antisocial personality disorder
- Hypochondria
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- Stress
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- Wrist, broken
- Arterial thrombosis
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- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
- Blisters
- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
- Semen, bloody
- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
- Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
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- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
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- Leg, broken
- Fractured nose
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- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
- Cancer
- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
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- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
- Sore lips
- Chemotherapy
- Chest infection, adult
- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
- Leukaemia, chronic myeloid
- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
- Cluster headaches
- White coated tongue
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- Herpes simplex virus
- Cold
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- Colostomy
- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
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- Constipation
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- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
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- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
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- Undescended testicles
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- Cystic fibrosis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
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- Dehydration
- Tooth abscess
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- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- False teeth (dentures)
- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
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- Diabetes
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- Dialysis
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- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
- Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
- Thirst
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- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
- Swallowing problems
- Dyspraxia (adults)
- Swimmer's ear
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- Ebola virus disease
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- Endoscopy
- Threadworms
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
- Watering eyes
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- Impotence
- Tremor (essential)
- Ocular cancer
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- Falls
- Family planning
- Fever, childhood
- Fibromyalgia
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- Wind
- Seasonal flu
- Nail patella syndrome
- Food allergy
- Foot pain
- Frostbite
- Gallstones
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- Gastroenteritis
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- General anaesthetic
- Genetics
- Herpes, genital
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- Gestational diabetes
- Gum disease
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- Iron overload disorder
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- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Piles (haemorrhoids)
- Ingrown hairs
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- Hamstring injury
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- Tendon repair, hand
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- Head and neck cancer
- Head injury, minor
- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
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- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- Sweat rash
- Periods, heavy
- Hepatitis A
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- Herbal medicines
- Hernia, femoral
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- Herpes simplex eye infections
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- Hip replacement
- HIV and AIDS
- Welts
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- Huntington's disease
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- Sleepiness in the day (severe and unexplained)
- Thyroid, overactive
- Hypnotherapy
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- Underactive thyroid
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
- Shoulder tendon, trapped
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- Inquest
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- knee-pain
- Knee replacement
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- Rubeola
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- Moles
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- Multiple system atrophy
- Mumps
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- Selective mutism
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- Nose and sinus cancer
- Polyps, nose
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Night sweats
- Nightmares
- Rhinitis, non-allergic
- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
- Swollen ankles
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- Periods, irregular
- Organ donation
- Orthopaedics (orthopaedic surgery)
- Osteoarthritis
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- Pacemaker implantation
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- Paracetamol
- Ulcerative colitis
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- Panic disorder
- Pins and needles
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- Pelvic pain
- Ulcer, peptic
- Ruptured eardrum
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- Whooping cough
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- Phobias
- Physiotherapy
- Pilonidal sinus
- Plastic surgery
- Pleurisy
- Pneumococcal infections
- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
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- Slipped disc
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- Prostate disease
- Prostatitis
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- Radiation
- Radiotherapy
- Red blood cell count
- Rheumatic fever
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Root canal treatment
- Roundworm
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Salivary stones
- Salmonella infection
- Scabies
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- Scoliosis
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- Self-harm
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- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
- Shingles
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
- Sleepwalking
- Urine, smelly
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- Spina bifida
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- Squint
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- Stroke
- Stye
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- Swollen glands
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
- Testicular cancer
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- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
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- Tongue-tie
- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
- Tourette's syndrome
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- Traction
- Travel vaccines
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- Urinary tract infection, children
- Urinary tract infection
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- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
- Bowel cancer screening
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Read moreNHS Choices - Introduction
(05/12/2014)
A dental abscess is a collection of pus that forms in your teeth and spreads to the surrounding tissue. It forms as the result of a bacterial infection.
The main symptom of a dental abscess is a severe, throbbing pain. The pain usually comes on suddenly, gets gradually worse over a few hours or days, and causes teeth to be tender and sensitive.
Read more about the symptoms of a dental abscess.
Types and causes of dental abscesses
There are two types of dental abscess:
- periapical abscess – where the abscess forms under the tooth (this is the most common type of dental abscess)
- periodontal abscess – where the abscess forms in the supporting gum and bone
Both types are caused when bacteria build up inside your mouth and usually occurs due to a combination of:
- poor dental hygiene – not cleaning your teeth and gums properly and regularly (read our advice on how to brush and floss your teeth)
- consuming lots of sugary or starchy food and drink – the carbohydrates in these encourage bacteria to grow, causing tooth decay
Read more about the causes of a dental abscess.
Treating dental abscesses
If you think you may have a dental abscess, make a dentist appointment as soon as possible.
There isn't a lot your GP can do other than recommend painkillers, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, to help relieve the pain. You can get these over the counter from your local pharmacist.
Treatment varies, depending on what caused the abscess. Generally, treatment involves draining the pus, either with root canal treatment, removing the affected tooth or gum treatment.
This type of treatment should not be too painful, as local anaesthetic will be used to numb the affected area of your mouth.
Unlike some other types of infection, a dental abscess will not get better on its own and must be treated by a dentist. With appropriate treatment, the bacterial infection that causes a dental abscess can usually be cured. Antibiotics are not used to treat a dental abscess, but may occasionally be used to reduce the symptoms.
Read more about how a dental abscess is treated.
Complications of dental abscesses
Complications are rare, but can be serious. For example, the infection may spread to a nearby bone (osteomyelitis).
Read more about the complications of a dental abscess.
Finding an NHS dentist
If you are not registered with an NHS dentist, there are a number of options available to you:
- use the NHS Choices health services post code search to find a dentist in your area
- call NHS 111 to request details of dental services in your area
- text the word "dentist" to 64746 or NHSGO from your mobile phone from the area you need a dentist
- get in touch with your local clinical commissioning group (CCG) to find out about the dental access helpline
Emergency treatment
If you are in severe pain, you may need emergency out-of-hours dental treatment.
Find out how you can access an NHS dentist in an emergency or out-of-hours.
You may have to pay for your treatment, depending on your circumstances.
Find out more about NHS dental services.