Emergency Dentist

A Tooth Infection is Dangerous

I had a molar break about a month and a half ago. I did not have money to deal with it. Recently, I’ve been having pains in my cheeks, sinuses and temple on the side of the mouth with the broken tooth. This morning I woke up with pain in my neck, also on the side of the tooth. Do you think this is related? My sister thinks it is an infection. Is this dangerous? I tend to avoid dentists both because of the cost and the fact that I have never had a pleasant experience at the dentist. So, if there is an antibiotic I can use, I’d rather go that route.

Analisa

Dear Analisa,

Woman holding her jaw from a toothache

I am sorry this is happening to you. Before I talk about your tooth infection, I want to let you know ahead of time that I do have a solution for your negative experiences at the dentist. I want you aware of that so you do not panic.

Yes, you do have a tooth infection and it is spreading. It is dangerous. Yours has already spread up to your temple and your neck. Here are some things that can happen if it is not treated, all of which are life-threatening. It can spread to your brain. Your neck can swell up closing your breathing passage. It can continue past your neck and spread to your heart. I know it sounds crazy, but people die every year from an untreated tooth infection.

Unfortunately, an antibiotic won’t help. The most it can do is temporarily stave off the infection. It will not cure it. This is because it can only reach the part of the infection that has spilled out of your tooth. The only way to treat this is either with a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction.

Both of those probably sound very scary to you. I am going to recommend, especially because of your history, that you see a sedation dentist. They can provide you with a pill that will completely relax you during your treatment. In fact, many people call it sleep dentistry because you can sleep through your treatment if you want to.

Please don’t put off getting this tooth treated. It is a dental emergency and I do not want you turning into another statistic.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.