Tag Archives: emergency dental care

My 5 Year Old’s Teeth are Rotting

I have a difficult 5-year-old. I do brush her teeth, but she is a nightmare when I do it. Actually, she’s a bit of a Tasmanian devil. This is especially true in the dental chair where she refuses to cooperate any time they try to do work on her. She now has one molar with a cavity, two that the dentist is saying need to come out, and decay on several other teeth. What is your recommendation for something like this? I don’t know how to get the work done for her.

Patty

Dear Patty,

Young girl in a dental chair smiling

I can tell you are worried and want the best for your daughter. I do have a way for your daughter to get the dental care she needs with minimal fuss, but I am also going to suggest some tough love to help in the long run with her oral health care. The extensive amount of decay you are describing at her age is almost always a result of constant snacking and drinking.

Our saliva is a big help in the fight against decay. It contains minerals that help fight bacteria between meals. But, when we are snacking or drinking (with the exception of water) too often, it doesn’t give our saliva time to do its job. This leads to extensive decay, even when we have good oral hygiene.

I’m going to strongly recommend you don’t let your daughter eat between meals for a while. She won’t starve and it will help her be hungry for the nutritious meals you make rather than snack throughout the day and not get the value out of the healthy food you make. Juice and soda should also be limited because of the citric acid and sugar contained in both of them.

When you have a child who will not cooperate with their pediatric dentist but there is important work that needs to be done, you may have to use dental sedation. This is sometimes called sleep dentistry because even adults are so relaxed when they use this aid that they can sleep through their entire procedure.

What you don’t want to do is put off this treatment at all. Tooth infections are considered dental emergencies. This is because our jaws are close to our hearts, lungs, and brains. A dental infection can turn life-threatening quickly.

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

Can’t Afford Tooth Care

I have had a decaying wisdom tooth for some time. I just don’t have money for the dentist. Lately, though the pain is going up my cheekbone toward my eye. Because it is not just in my tooth, do you think I could get antibiotics for a doctor for the infection? I have medical insurance, but not dental insurance.

Eric

Dear Eric,

Man in pain, grabbing his cheek in need of emergency dental care.

I don’t want you to mess around with this. Believe it or not, people still die from tooth infections. While you could go to your doctor and he might give you an antibiotic, all that will do is hold the infection back for a short time. As soon as the antibiotic finishes, the infection will flare back up.

Dental infections are different than other types because once the pulp of the tooth is infected and dies there is no blood flow in the tooth. The antibiotic cannot reach the root of the infection. The only way to “heal” a tooth infection is to physically remove the infected pulp.

Normally, if the tooth can be saved, the best treatment option will be a root canal treatment. However, with a wisdom tooth you would just extract it.

Affording Dental Care

I know that does not mean you have any more money. However, I want you to think about what will happen when this infection spreads. It is already moving up your cheek. It is not too far from there to your brain. An infection like that will be life-threatening.

One thing I would do is look for a dentist who advertises as an affordable dentist. This almost always means they are willing to work out payment options for patients. That will especially be likely in a situation such as yours where there is an urgent care situation.

Another option, if you can’t find a dentist willing to work with you is to work through Care Credit. This is a medical credit card that will pay for your care and allow you to pay it off. You have to have reasonable credit, but if you qualify their terms are remarkably good.

Please don’t put this off.
This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.