Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Archives for October 2019

Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection

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My tooth is killing me. I just don’t have the money for another dentist appointment right now. What I do have is a bunch of leftover antibiotics my deceased mother never took. She didn’t believe in medicine. I checked and some of the bottles are within their usable date. What dose would I need to make this work?

Marcus

Dear Marcus,

A man holding the side of his jaw like he needs an emergency dentist
Antibiotics won’t solve a tooth infection

I know you’re in a tough spot financially right now. Unfortunately, you will not be able to solve this with your mother’s antibiotics. Not only is using another person’s medication dangerous, even if you had a prescription specifically for your infection it would only be a temporary measure. You would still need to be seen by a dentist.

When your tooth is infected, the pulp inside the tooth will die. This stops the blood flow through the tooth. Because of that, the antibiotics will never truly get to the source of the infection. You’ll feel better for a while, but then the infection will blow back up.

In order for an infected tooth to really be treated, a dentist has to get in there and physically remove the infected pulp. This is done with a root canal treatment. Without that, the infection will return.

This can quickly turn into both a dental emergency as well as a life-threatening one. Our jaws are very close to our hearts, lungs, and brains. We don’t want to take a chance of any infection spreading to those. Even in the 21st century we still have people dying from tooth infections because they waited too long.

Finding Affordable Dental Care

We want to make sure you get the care you need. For the most part, dentists went into their profession because they want to help people. In cases of emergency, such as yours, many dentists will be willing to get you the treatment you need and then allow you to pay it out in installments.

You can do an internet search using the term “affordable dentist“. Those who advertise as such are usually more willing to work with patients on their payments.

I hope this helps. This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.

Is a Painful Tooth Dangerous?

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I need some advice. I broke a tooth a while back but really didn’t have the money to do anything about it. A few weeks ago it started hurting like mad. I just took some pain meds but then it started to spread, because the area going down from it is swollen all the way to my neck and now there’s a red streak all the way up to my eye. A friend said this is a tooth infection and dangerous. So, I found some leftover antibiotics and started taking them, but it’s not really doing anything. Is this really serious or will it eventually just get better?

Cindy

Dear Cindy,

blonde woman holding the side of her jaw in need of an emergency dentist

You must be in tremendous pain. We’ll help you get this sorted out. Your friends are correct. This is serious. In fact, people still die from dental infections and they are considered dental emergencies.That’s because they mistakenly think antibiotics will be enough. They’re not. Tooth infections are different from other biological infections.

With dental infections, the tissue in the tooth dies, which eliminates blood flow. Without that, the medicine won’t reach the infected part of the tooth. This is why your infection is spreading even though you’ve been taking antibiotics. Eventually, it will spread to your brain or heart. By then, it is often too late to save the patient.

This is a Dental Emergency

You will need to see a dentist for this to be treated properly. Your dentist will need to do what is called a root canal treatment. This is where the dentist gets in there and physically removes the infected pulp of the tooth. Often, they will place a dental crown on top of the tooth after that to protect it.

There is only one other way to get rid of an infection in a tooth. You can have the tooth extracted. However, when you do this, the tooth needs to be replaced. Once your tooth is out, it opens up a space that will cause your other teeth to shift or tip-in. This can lead to massive problems with your bite, including TMJ Disorder.

It will be more affordable to get the root canal treatment. If you’re worried about cost, there are affordable dentists out there who will be willing to work with you. This is especially true in cases of dental emergencies, such as yours.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.