Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

What’s causing the pimple on my husband’s gums?

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My husband recently said that he has a little pimple on him gum on the upper left, above his molar. Is this something that needs an emergency dental appointment? Karen

Dear Karen,

Tulsa emergency dentist

There are a couple of possibilities for a pimple on the gums. If it is near the root tip of your husband’s molar, it is most likely from a tooth abscess. When a tooth gets infected, the pulp eventually dies and the infection festers inside the tooth, spilling out bacteria into the bone. The infection in the bone then looks for a place to escape, and it will often try to drain through the gums.

While this wouldn’t be considered a dental emergency, it would need attention. If untreated, the infection can spread into the surrounding bone. It can also begin to dissolve away the roots of that tooth. It is unlikely that the tooth will be hurting, for two reasons. First, the tissue inside the tooth is dead, so it has no feeling. Second, while an abscess around the end of a tooth can cause the tooth to be painful to biting, since this infection has found a pathway to drain, pressure isn’t building up. Though my guess is that your husband has some mild discomfort to biting on this tooth, assuming that it truly is an infection and not just some little growth on the gum.

It’s Important He Doesn’t Put This Off

The tendency for men is to “tough it out” and hope it goes away. This won’t go away. And while the tooth will need a root canal treatment, I would tell him not to worry about that. Since the tissue inside the tooth is dead, the dentist could probably do a root canal without any novocain, since there is no feeling in it. I expect it will be a completely painless procedure. The dentist may still want to make the tooth numb, and may put your husband on some antibiotics to get the infection completely under control before starting treatment and to help insure that there is no post-operative flare-up.

It’s always better to take care of these things sooner rather than later. Better a root canal treatment and dental crown than to need a tooth extraction and replacement.

If the Tooth Can’t be Saved

There’s always a chance, depending on how long this has gone that the tooth can’t be saved. In that case, you’ll need to look at tooth replacement options.

Two of the best are to get a dental implant or a dental bridge. A dental implant is the better treatment, but it is more costly than the bridge.

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

Emergency Dentist for Gum Injury

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We don’t yet have a dentist in this area. We’ve been busy relocating and haven’t had the time. My husband recently complained about an injury to his gums that is swollen. He can’t remember when he did it or what happened, but it looks to me like it resembles a giant swollen pimple. Of course, I know we don’t get pimples on our gums so it must be inflamed from an injury. Will this go away on its own or does he need an emergency dental appointment?

Karen

Dear Karen,

Tulsa emergency dentist

Relocation is stressful, so I completely understand you not getting to finding a new dentist. However, what you described on your husban’s gums doesn’t sound like a gum injury. Instead, I think he has an abscessed tooth. This manifests in what looks like a pimple on the gums.

This is considered a dental emergency, so he will need to see a dentist right away. It means his tooth is infected. These infections can blow up quickly and become life-threatening.

I know you don’t have a dentist right now, but there are dentists who will treat non-established patients in cases of emergencies like yours. You can do an internet search using the term “emergency dentist“.

It’s Important He Doesn’t Put This Off

The tendency for men is to “tough it out” and hope it goes away. This won’t go away. Eventually, the tooth may stop hurting, but that is because the pulp of the tooth will die, That won’t stop the infection from spreading though.

It’s always better to take care of these things sooner rather than later. Better a root canal treatment and dental crown than to need a tooth extraction and replacement.

If the Tooth Can’t be Saved

There’s always a chance, depending on how long this has gone that the tooth can’t be saved. In that case, you’ll need to look at tooth replacement options.

Two of the best are to get a dental implant or a dental bridge. A dental implant is the better treatment, but it is more costly than the bridge.

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



Need more work than I can afford

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I’ve neglected my dental care for quite a few years. Because of that, I need a lot more work than I expected. The dentist said I needed six crowns because the cavities are too large to just fill them. There’s no way I can afford that, but am afraid I’ll lose my teeth if I don’t do anything. Is there a middle ground option?

Elizabeth C. – Mesa, AZ

Elizabeth,

It’s overwhelming to feel you need too much work, especially if you don’t have the money to afford the care you need. Your dentist should have affordale options for you. There is phased treatment, that allows you to get the most urgent work done first.

If your dentist is worried about it becoming an abcess and wants you to get them all done right away, then you can ask about payment plans. Many dentists have low, and sometimes even no, interest plans that will allow you to get the work  done you need.

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