Tag Archives: Urgent Dental Care

Emergency Dentist

Death from Tooth Infection

I have a toothache and went to see the dentist. He told me I had a tooth infection and needed a root canal treatment. I’m quite busy at the moment. I’ve had other infections, such as a sinus infection that I just sort of put up with and it eventually healed itself. I suggested this to my dentist and he said, and I quote, “That’s a good way to die.” Seriously?! Is he serious or just trying to scare me into getting the treatment?

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

Woman holding her jaw from a toothache

I am glad you wrote. I know it would be easy to feel like your dentist is using scare tactics to get your business. In this case, however, he is right. A tooth infection is different from other types of infections. With a tooth infection, the pulp inside the tooth dies. When that happens, even antibiotics won’t help because there is no longer any blood flow to get the medicine there.

In the meantime, the infection continues to spread. Your jaw is quite close to your heart, lungs, throat, and even brain. You do not want the infection reaching there. Each year, there are between six to ten deaths from untreated tooth infections.

The only way to get rid of an infected tooth is for a dentist to physically remove the infected pulp. That can be done with either a root canal treatment or tooth extraction. A root canal treatment will save the tooth. If you end up having to extract the tooth, then you’ll need to replace it. This is just for the sake of your appearance. It’s because the adjacent teeth will shift or tip into the empty space.

If you do end up needing a tooth replacement, I recommend a dental implant. It is the closest thing to a healthy natural tooth. However, if you get treatment soon enough, you should be able to just get a root canal treatment and not have to worry about that.

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

Porcelain Veneers

Did Getting Porcelain Veneers Harm My Baby?

Can you help me? I’m in a bit of a panic. I just found out I’m pregnant, but just a few weeks ago I had porcelain veneers placed. Someone told me that the dentist would not have done the porcelain veneers if he knew I was pregnant. Does this mean that by getting them placed I harmed my baby? Is there any way to reverse any damage I’ve done?

Catherine

Dear Catherine,

An image of a porcelain veneer being held up to a tooth.

The first thing that I want you to do is take a deep breath. In the case of porcelain veneers, your baby is completely safe. Dentists are taught to avoid dental work in the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy because the baby is more susceptible to substances at that point. Most women don’t know they’re pregnant for quite some time through the first trimester, so you’re not the first mom to have work done without knowing they were expecting.

The only medication used during the porcelain veneers procedure is a local anesthetic. These are the safest medications around. In fact, one of the most common of the local anesthetics is Lidocaine. This has been used countless times not only during pregnancies, but even during the deliveries. You don’t have anything to worry about.

Looking ahead, it is important that you keep up with your dental care, especially during pregnancy. You don’t want to develop a tooth infection. Not only will that lead to the need for emergency dental care, but any infection you have your baby will deal with as well. I would schedule your cleaning and check up for the time period during your second trimester. Once you hit the third trimester, you are not only a bit larger, but you have a whole other human pressing down on you. Because of that, you will not be as comfortable in the dental chair as you would like. The second trimester tends to be the most comfortable for expectant moms.

Congrats on the new blessing!

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

Dental Emergency

Why Aren’t My Antibiotics Working?

I had what I thought was a sinus infection. My doctor just called me in an antibiotic because I get them all the time. However, I realized the next day that a tooth was seriously hurting. I figured the antibiotics would work either way, but they are not. The tooth felt better for a short period of time and then started hurting again. It hasn’t improved since. Are you supposed to take a different antibiotic for tooth infections than you would for a sinus infection?

Brandon

Dear Brandon,

Woman holding her jaw from a toothache

While I don’t know what type of antibiotic you used, that is not the main problem for why you are not healing. Antibiotics are used for tooth infections, but only to help get the infection under control. Antibiotics cannot cure an infected tooth. The only way to do that is for a dentist to remove the damaged pulp. Yours will begin to spread, which is why toothaches are considered dental emergencies.

There are two ways to do that. First, with a root canal treatment. This is the ideal option because it can save most of your tooth. The other way to deal with an infected tooth is to extract it. Once a tooth is extracted, it will need to be replaced.

If it is left as an open area, the other teeth will drift or tip into that spot, which will throw off your bite and lead to painful TMJ Disorder. Replacing the tooth, with a dental implant will protect your bite. It is also a very nice tooth replacement that will look, feel, and function just like your natural tooth structure.

Don’t put off getting this looked at by a dentist to get the right treatment. Tooth infections spread outside of the jaw. When lift untreated, they can become life threatening. People still die from tooth infections every year. Plus, the sooner you get in with your dentist, the better chance you have to save your tooth.

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

Does a Tooth Infection HAVE to be Treated?

I have a tooth infection and my jaw is a bit swollen. Everyone is saying that I need to go to the dentist, but even though it hurts, I feel confident it will go away. I get sinus infections all the time and they go away with antibiotics. I have some left over that I’m taking, but my sister is driving me crazy about this and keeps telling me what I’m doing is dangerous. Can you tell her that it will be fine and will work itself out?

Murray

Dear Murray,

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

Tooth infections are a bit different because at some point the pulp inside the tooth dies and then the antibiotics can not get to the infected part of the tooth. That infection spills out to other parts of the body. A dentist has to physically remove the infected pulp. There are only two ways to fully treat a tooth infection. The first is with a root canal treatment, which is ideal because it saves your tooth. The second is to extract the tooth.

While the antibiotics may help you feel better for a bit and hold the infection at bay, once they run out the infection will flair back up. People die every year from untreated tooth infections because they mistakenly believe it is no big deal.

If your jaw is swollen then yours is already spreading and you have a dental emergency. I do think that you need to see a dentist. Hopefully, a root canal treatment will be sufficient. If not, then you’ll need to extract the tooth. It will also be important that you replace the tooth as well. Otherwise the adjacent teeth will shift or tip into the empty space, which will end up causing your bite to be thrown off. If you do need to replace the tooth, I recommend a dental implant. It is the closest thing to having a healthy natural tooth.

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

Dental Emergency

In Pain After Dental Work in Mexico

I need some advice and am wondering if I have a dental emergency on my hands. I went to Mexico to save some money on my dental care. They gave the three crowns in all. One of the crowns fell off after a few days, so I made the trip back to have it fixed. Then, they told me it needed a root canal treatment in order to have the crown replaced. When I asked why they didn’t do that to begin with they said root canals only work sometimes so aren’t worth it unless there is a problem. It sounded like they were trying to save me money before so I agreed to the root canal treatment. Now I am in massive pain and the tooth is really sensitive. I called them back and they said I would need to come back in. Now they are saying the tooth is cracked and I will need to extract it and get a dental implant. If it wasn’t cracked before does that mean they cracked it when they did the root canal? Do I go ahead with this extraction and replacement? I’m starting to lose confidence in them.

Bryce

Dear Bryce,

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

STARTING to lose confidence in them? I lost confidence back when the dental crown fell off. Properly bonding on a dental crown is a pretty basic dental procedure. Even the worst crowns should last a minimum of five years. Yours did not even last a few days. As for their root canal treatment, the excuse that they don’t always work does not wash with me. While root canal failure is a thing, if your tooth is infected you need a root canal treatment. Period. However, I don’t think you needed one. You gave no indication to me that you were in pain, which is one of the signs of an infected tooth.

I think you were given an unnecessary root canal. Not only that, they didn’t finish it. If they had, you would not be in pain. You can only have sensitivity in a tooth if there is still some viable tissue. A root canal treatment is supposed to remove all the inside tissue. Obviously, they didn’t. Now they are saying the tooth is cracked and you need to replace it. Even if it is true that the tooth is cracked, that does not make it unsavable.

I would not let these people anywhere near your teeth for even a second. I don’t know what the laws are in Mexico for patient recourse in these situations, but you may end up just having to cut your losses. If you are in pain, and it sounds like you are, I’d like you to schedule an urgent dental appointment with a dentist here in the United States. Get a true evaluation of this tooth and see where you stand. Then we’ll have a better idea of how you can get this healed.

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