This abscess can cause pain and swelling. If swelling is severe, it can cause blockage of throat. As a result, you may not be able to eat, speak and even breathe easily.

• The formation of peritonsillar abscess may be a result of an infection which spreads in the soft tissues.
• Generally, the peritonsillar abscesses are uncommon. However, they usually appear in younger adults, adolescents and older children.

Main reasons for peritonsillar abscess

Further complication of tonsillitis can be the main reason for peritonsillar abscess. The bacteria that cause this abscess are usually similar to those that cause tonsillitis.

First, an infection is caused by Streptococcal bacteria in the soft tissues around one of the tonsils. This infection makes the area vulnerable against the attack of anaerobes which are the bacteria that can live without oxygen. The risk factors may include dental infections such as gingivitis, periodontitis and cavities. Other factors mainly include:

• Infectious mononucleosis
• Smoking
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
• Chronic tonsillitis
• Stones or calcium deposits in the tonsils

Symptoms related to peritonsillar abscess

The first thing to appear is the sore throat. Then, as the situation worsens, the fever and other symptoms start showing up. It is also common for the symptoms to show up 5 – 6 days after the formation of abscess. Some of the symptoms mainly include:

• Swollen area on one side of the mouth or throat
• Shoving away of uvula
• Enlargement and tenderness of Lymph glands in the neck

Treatment of peritonsillar abscess

First, the doctor or dentist will follow diagnostic measures to analyze the level of abscess in your throat. Sometimes, x-rays and CT scan may be run to get the picture of infection. The doctor may also test you for mononucleosis which is a virus. To know about the root cause of infection, doctor may send the pus from abscess to the lab.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that you cannot treat this infection at home. You will have to visit the dentist or your doctor to get properly diagnosed and treated.

The treatment may involve cutting of the abscess and letting the pus drain out of the abscess. Your doctor may also choose to get the pus out through a needle of syringe. If the pus can be treated without cutting or pulling out through the needle, your doctor may suggest you some antibiotics.

After the treatment is complete and you are back to home, you have to make sure that you visit your doctor a few days after the treatment to get yourself analyzed. This checkup is important to make sure that infection doesn’t return back.

Floss

You absolutely cannot forget to do this in your dental routine. So many times, guys try brushing their teeth twice or three times. While doing this helps to get the bits of food and plaque you may have missed on the first go round, it simply doesn’t substitute for flossing. Flossing does so much for your teeth before going out simply because it pulls your teeth lines together. Without food and gunk clogging up your interdental spaces, your teeth shine more and their outlines are much more defined, making your smile look more defined. Always floss before meeting your friends. Always.

Mouthwash and then pop in the gum

Often guys think that a single stick of gum will do the trick to mask bad breath. If you’re going to be that last-minute about it, though, you should at least attempt to swish your mouth with some mouthwash for a minute before popping in the gum. Not only will this further freshen your breath, it’ll also clean out any debris that’s still hiding around your mouth you may have not reached when brushing your teeth.

Be confident

This is perhaps the most important part of this procedure. If you keep checking your breath or trying to talk with your mouth more closed to the ones you meet, your friends will catch on. And if they catch on, they’ll either think you’re unconfident or that you don’t typically brush your teeth and so you’re worried about your breath. Just act normal and stay confident. Your breath is just fine if you did the other two things on this list.