Does an abscess have to be drained before root canal?

[Andy B]

Hello

I have developed an abscess next to my top molar tooth which has been draining a bad tasting material into my mouth for the past couple of days. A few months ago my dentist said that this tooth will need to be root filled but due to one thing or another, I put the treatment off until now. However I dont know if he can do a root canal now that I have such a large abscess next to my tooth. Does my dentist need to drain my tooth abscess before he does root canal treatment and is draining an abscess painful?

[Dr Mohsen J. Esfahani]

We need to see your tooth to see exactly what needs to be done. If there is infection around your tooth, it might be possible to drain the infection through the tooth itself by starting root canal treatment and leaving the tooth open for 24 hours for open drainage to take place.

Sometimes though a separate incision needs to be made in the gum to allow pus drainage to take place.