Dr. Noah's Dentistry Blog

Questions About Dentistry Answered

Can’t Afford to Treat My Infected Wisdom Tooth

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I have a massively infected wisdom tooth. I’m furloughed during the quarantine and my unemployment hasn’t kicked in yet. I don’t have the money to get this treated yet. Is it possible to just take antibiotics until the money kicks in or should I just go to the ER to have this treated?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

A man holding the side of his jaw like he needs an emergency dentist

Antibiotics won’t solve a tooth infection

Tooth infections aren’t something to mess with. In fact, they are considered dental emergencies. Unlike other infections which can be solved by antibiotics, a tooth infection has to be physically removed by a dentist, either by a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction. Without that, it will continue to spread. The most an antibiotic will do is hold it at bay for a short time. Then, when the antibiotics run out, it will begin to spread again. If you think about how close your jaw is to your lungs, heart, and brain, you realize how people still die from tooth infections.

I’ve found most dentists to be compassionate. That will be especially true during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. I would simply call around to dentists in your area and explain your situation. I’m positive you will be able to find one who will work with you financially until your unemployment payments kick in.

Start by looking for a dentist who advertises as an “affordable dentist“. They pretty much offer payment plans even when there isn’t a world wide health emergency. I’m positive they will in your situation now. You can just get the wisdom tooth extracted and you’ll be back to normal in no time.

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

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.

Sinus Infection after Extraction

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I had a dental emergency a couple of weeks ago and the tooth is beyond repair. The dentist did an extraction. In the process my sinus was perforated. I’ve done some research and this seems to be something that can happen without it being the dentist’s fault. He told me about it after the extraction, cleaned the area, closed it up and then gave me a prescription for antibiotics. I was feeling better and had finished my antibiotics. Today there is drainage and pressure in my sinuses. Could I have developed an infection at the extraction site?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

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

I’m glad you know that a sinus perforation doesn’t necessarily mean your dentist made a mistake. Some roots of teeth are so close to your sinus cavities the only thing separating them is a thin membrane, which will be perforated during an extraction when they’re that close.

It sounds like your dentist followed correct protocol when that happened as well. You’ve got a responsible caregiver and that is something to be grateful for. I can think of three possibilities going on here.

The first is that you just needed to be on your prescribed antibiotic a little longer than you were. Some infections need a little extra oomph to help your body fight it. This may be the case with yours.

A second possibility is you need to be on a different antibiotic. You didn’t mention which antibiotic your dentist prescribed. A good one for this type of situation is clindamycin.

A third possibility is there is some bone in the sinus cavity. This will blow up into an infection and can cause another dental emergency, plus a host of other problems.

I want you to call your dentist and schedule an appointment to be seen again. He’ll likely put you on more of the antibiotic or a different one. He may do an x-ray to see if there is some bone trapped there. If he doesn’t don’t panic. Try the antibiotics. If they don’t work, then it will be time to see an ENT and have this investigated further.

You are doing a good job staying on top of this. I don’t know if you and your dentist have started talking about what you will replace the extracted tooth with, but once you have this infection settled, I’d like you to discuss getting a dental implant with him.

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.



Can I Use Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection?

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I have a pimple on my gums and my tooth hurts. I looked it up online and it sounds like I have a tooth infection. I don’t have dental insurance and don’t make much money. I do have some antibiotics I’d never taken for a sinus infection that went away on its own. Can I just take those for the tooth infection?

Carl

Dear Carl,

A man holding the side of his jaw like he needs an emergency dentist

Antibiotics won’t solve a tooth infection

There is a common misunderstanding about antibiotics and dentistry, which is probably why we still have people dying from tooth infections. I’m glad you wrote so you won’t risk the same fate. Think of antibiotics as an aide to instead of a cure for tooth infections.

The reason they can’t knock it out on their own is due to the structure of the tooth. Once the infection gets to the pulp of your tooth, it dies. That means no more blood flow. Without blood flow, there’s no way for the antibiotic to have any effect on the infected pulp. While antibiotics will slow down the infection on the areas it can reach, the infection will return and spread.

The only way to truly take care of it is for a dentist to get in there and physically dig out the infection. This is called a root canal treatment.

Finding an Affordable Dentist

You’re in a bit of a pickle and I understand that. Fortunately, most dentists are compassionate and got into this field with the idea of helping people. There are affordable dentists. Be careful though. There is a difference between affordable dentistry and cheap dentistry.

Cheap dentistry is when a dentist has significantly lower prices than almost all the other dentists around him or her. They are doing that to draw people in. You need to ask yourself why they are so much cheaper than everyone else. Is it because they have trouble retaining patients because of poor dental or people skills? Bear in mind, there’s also a real possibility they’re making up their profits by purchasing cheap materials which will fail on you.

Instead of a cheap dentist, you want one who works to keep their prices reasonable without cutting corners. They can be affordable in other ways, such as making low or no-interest payment plans available so you can get the treatment you need and then pay it out. They can also phase your treatment in some cases.

Do an online search for an affordable dentist, but be certain to check out their reviews to make sure you’re not getting into a disastrous dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Glenpool dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.