If you develop a significant infection originating in the teeth, mouth or neck, this may be accompanied by the formation of pus or suppuration. In addition to treatment of the cause (e.g. extraction of the tooth) and drainage of the pus, the maxillofacial surgeon will also initiate antibiotic treatment. As you probably know, not all bacteria are sensitive to the same type of antibiotics. Therefore, a microbial examination is usually carried out as well.
A cotton swab is used to collect a small amount of pus which is then cultured further in the laboratory. This enables the causative bacteria and their sensitivity to antibiotics to be determined, so the antibiotic can be adjusted if necessary.
