I agree that going to see the dentist or a doctor is the best remedy for injury. I agree that your best bet is to stabilize a wound and get help as soon as possible.

Now I have an abcess on a tooth. I'm on a desert island with only my huge survival kit minus the signaling gear. I have no hope of immediate rescue. I do have anything in my kit I want besides signaling gear.

How would I treat the infection?

Ummm, what would a dentist do? Pull it out?

I guess if the pain was so bad, that I couldn't eat/sleep even after takning painkillers, then the only option would be to pull it out.

Take some pain killers an hour or so before. Maybe wrap some fishing line around it and pull it. If it is too saw to pull it yourself, then tie a rock to it, and drop the rock.

I am no dentist, so this is as a worst-case-scenario. This is also a life-saving thing i am doing (so that I can eat/sleep). It is not cosmetic.

My research, thus far, tells me that an abcess is not supposed to be pierced otherwise the pus will get in the blood and kill you.

My only solution so far is to take an anti-biotic to kill the germs.

See this site http://www.tpub.com/dental1/46.htm for good advice. You'll want to brush your teeth just reading about some of the stuff on there. Trenchmouth, yuk

As an initial step, I would recommend boiling some sea water, allowing it to cool to very warm and then using the warmed/boiled sea water as a mouth wash. If one had some clean cloth, I would also use the warmed/boiled seawater as a poultice. Pete

Is there something other than salt in the sea water that helps? If I were in Misourri could I use salt water made with table salt? Sea water is not always available. (though this scenario is Desert Island where sea water is abundantly available.)

It is the salt in the seawater I was referring to, since the scenario in taking place on an island, I was thinking of what was readily available. Pete

Ummm, as I said I am no dentist <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />. I suppose it also depends on the surrounding circumstances, and other information. Antibiotics would be the first choice, bu I don't carry them (can't get a prescription). I'll ask my dentist next time I see him.

Surely this forum has a resident dentisit?

Calling all dentisits present.

-james

PRAY !!! If you're fortunate, the abscess will form a fistula (tract) to the surface of the gum, allowing drainage and some relief. Without question, antibiotics would help, but I assumed they were unavailable. The hot salt water rinses might help the fistula form, but in my experience it is more psychological in effect - at least you're trying something.