As if being in jail wasn't a miserable enough experience, Teen Mom Amber Portwood is apparently dealing with one of the most miserable physical maladies ever: An abscess in her mouth that's grown "so big and swollen that her whole jaw is puffed out," according to her brother Shawn. "Her mouth has become infected and the pain is making her so sick that she can’t sleep, and hasn’t eaten a thing in three days."
YOWCH. What's even worse is how long Portwood has to wait for treatment, supposedly: six weeks! "It needs to be down now. If the infection gets in her bloodstream, it can be life-threatening," says Shawn. Granted, I'm not sure how much of this is true or if Amber Portwood's brother is in fact an expert on dental disasters, but if Portwood really does have a very angry and painful tooth abscess -- Shawn is right about the life-threatening thing!
AND the pain. I can personally vouch for that one (unfortunately). Worried you might have a tooth abscess of your own? Wondering what a tooth abscess even is and/or why people get them?
Here's what you need to know (trust me, you don't want to learn this stuff the hard way!):
The Mayo Clinic defines a tooth abscess as "a collection of pus that's caused by a bacterial infection in the inner part of your tooth." Lovely, eh? These nasty infections are usually the result of either an untreated cavity or a crack that allows bacteria into the tooth.
Symptoms include:
Severe, persistent, throbbing toothache (and by "severe" I mean it hurts so much you wish somebody would knock you out with a hammer -- anything to make the pain go away!!!)
Extreme sensitivity to pressure from biting or chewing and/or hot and cold temperatures (and by "extreme" I mean any attempts to eat food will result in howls of agony)
High fever; tender, swollen lymph nodes under your jaw or in your neck; swelling in your face (in my case, the right side of my jaw puffed up to about five times the size of my left)
Really gross smell/taste in your mouth (I don't even want to remember)
If you have any of these symptoms, go straight to the dentist. Right now! You can even go to the emergency room of your nearest hospital! Because if that horrid awful yuck spreads, it could turn into sepsis, a widespread and potentially fatal infection. The abscess will need to be drained, and you might need a root canal. You might even need to get your tooth pulled (but I promise you won't care at that point).
The moral of the story, of course, is BRUSH AND FLOSS! BRUSH AND FLOSS! Or, in Portwood's case, BRUSH AND FLOSS AND DON'T VIOLATE THE TERMS OF YOUR PROBATION!
Have you ever had a tooth abscess?
Image via MTV
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Comments 28
If the 6 weekwait is true, why doesn't her family help her by gettign the antibiotics she needs?
My mother had a tooth abcess and it was horrible. She also did not receive treatment until very late. A nurse needed to come to the house afterwards to treat her with antibiotics. She passed away a few months later of a blood clot to the brain caused by the abcess in her mouth. PLEASE GET HELP FAST!
When your in jail they dont give a shit whether you are in pain or not. I ahve known people that have been there and youre pretty much treated like an animal. @ Roxygurl unless you have been there and are in her shoes shut your mouth. @mylilangel not everywhere is like where you have worked at, people need a wake up call. Prison isnt like places out in the general public people.
@MomLily67 people arent just able to take stuff in there, hello? People are very nieve and realy need to think before they speak. How are they supposed to get things into her and how are they going to get her to a doctor to get a script?
Um, is there any other source for this information. She is a MAJOR drama queen and they tend to treat inmates (as far as medical care) pretty good.
I have one right now! It hurts like a Mother F'er!! YES, 6 weeks is my waiting time too. It was a cavity that went from small to HUGE within a week,
I spent 10 days in Jail for not paying a fine and let me tell you, they dont give a F if ur Sick, have Dental problems, Pregnant, nadda!! You have to file a "kite" which takes weeks just to get a damn asprin! We couldnt even get Tolirt paper let alone help with a tooth!
So to the "Correction Officer", ur full of it!! I know a few ppl in actual Prison too and its the same.
And ppl in Jail are treated worse than a Dog. I dont even want to start on what I witnessed! Cops r.. Oh let me shut up!
She did the Crime and is doing the time, that STILL doesnt mean u treat her like a caged in Animal.. Some of you ppl!!
Thought she was in jail. Last I heard, they have medical attention there.