I need some advice. I went to the dentist because of a toothache. It was actually hard for me to go because I have a lot of dental anxiety. When I got there he said that there is an infection in a tooth that already had a filling. He said the tooth is too far gone to save and it needs to be extracted then replaced with a dental implant. He gave me some antibiotics and scheduled me to come back in less than a week for the extraction. I’m having serious doubts about this, but it may just be because I don’t like dentists. Should I just move forward with this or are there other options?

Mandy

Dear Mandy,

I am very glad you wrote. I think you need to get a second opinion before moving forward with this. If the tooth were as far gone as the dentist indicated, he would not have needed an x-ray to see that. Your filling would literally be falling in on the decay. Plus, you would have been having severe pain for a while and that isn’t something you mentioned. You seemed to indicate the pain was fairly new. Have another dentist look at this just to make sure this is what your tooth really needs. It’s better to be safe in cases like this.

It showed real courage and wisdom to go to the dentist when you had a toothache, even with your dental anxiety. Tooth infections are considered dental emergencies and you did the right thing even if I am not sure you should trust this dentist.

I want to address something that can help with your anxiety. When you get your second opinion, try to find a dentist who offers dental sedation options. Doing it that way will enable you to get an anxiety-free and pain-free appointment. Patients with anxiety find dental sedation can change their lives and enable them to finally get all the dental work they’ve been avoiding for years done.

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