Emergency Dentist Archives

Trauma to This Tooth Was Handled Badly

September 14, 2024 by writeradmin

My husband had an accident at a game and had a concussion and trauma to his teeth. After the ER, we went to see the dentist who wanted to wait two weeks until his tooth was treated. During that time period his tooth had turned dark. He was no longer in pain. When the dentist went in she felt dried blood and said he’d need a dental crown. The temporary crown was started and then the procedure completed within a few weeks.

Fast forward a couple of months and he was in tremendous pain. We went back to the dentist and she said it looks like he may need a root canal treatment. She started that procedure and gave him five days worth of amoxicillin. The pain went away for a day or so, but then came back. By the time she finished up the root canal treatment about seven days later, he was in massive pain again. The root canal was done and he was still miserable. She told him to give it time. He was in agony for a couple of days and then I insisted they see him. Next, they root canaled the tooth next to the injured one saying that it was probably the problem. I don’t think it was because he is STILL in pain. What do we do?

Martha

Dear Martha,

I am so sorry this has happened to you! I’m going to be honest that your dentist has been pretty negligent, borderline incompetent in this whole thing. When she first saw that there was dried blood she should have known that the tooth needed a root canal treatment. What did she think was going on with the tooth?

Next, when she did realize that the tooth needed a root canal treatment, she only gave your husband 5 days worth of antibiotics, but as I understand you the procedure itself wasn’t completed for seven days. That means the infection would not be dealt with before the antibiotics were used up. Antibiotics do not solve a tooth infection. They only hold it at bay. As soon as the antibiotics are done, the infection comes straight back, even stronger. This is why your husband had a bit of relief when the antibiotics were first started.

The fact that it only lasted about a day is because she also gave the wrong antibiotic. Amoxicillin would not be a recommended antibiotic for a tooth infection. Then, she closed your tooth up with the infection still in it.

Finally, rather than admit her mistake, she tries to just say it is another tooth that is the problem, and root canals what is likely a perfectly healthy tooth.

My suggestion is that you see an endodontist. This is a root canal specialist. Explain to them that you have a dental emergency and they should fit you in fairly quickly. Just tell them the series of events that you told me.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.
Click here for an Auburn, AL College Dentist.

Do I Wait to Have Wisdom Teeth Extracted?

August 15, 2024 by writeradmin

I am 26 years old and have impacted wisdom teeth. All four teeth are impacted but only two of them are bothering me. I’m having them extracted and am wondering about a couple of things. First, should I have all of them extracted at the same time or just the ones that are bothering me? Second, one of them has a root that goes past a nerve. The dentist suggested that we can either try extracting the whole root or leave part of the root so that we don’t go near the nerve. Is one better than another?

Kaylie

Dear Kaylie,

I am going to recommend you get all of the impacted wisdom teeth extracted at once. While the other two wisdom teeth are not bothering you now, they are impacted which means they are very likely to bother you in the future. What you don’t want is to wait until they do and then you have a dental emergency on your hands. There’s a very good reason to all of them now.

At the moment, you are at a good age for these extractions because the bone is still relatively pliable and you don’t have as much cementum built up on the roots of your teeth. Once you hit 30, your chances of complications double from a wisdom tooth extraction. They’ll double again about every five years after that. You are much safer getting them out now.

As for the root by the nerve, It is okay to leave the root, but tell him not to leave the whole root. Instead, he should just leave the tip. This way there is less chance your body will see it as a foreign object that needs to destroyed.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.
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Is A Dental Infection Really Serious?

April 26, 2024 by writeradmin

I had a molar that broke in half last week. It’s on the upper right side. A week later, my cheek and upper sinus area started hurting. I wasn’t sure if it was a sinus infection or a tooth infection. Now the pain is up by my temples. My sister thinks it is a tooth infection from the broken molar and that it is serious. She insists I go to a dentist, but I am incredibly busy. Is this as serious as my sister is making out or can this just wait until my next dental appointment?

Breen

Dear Breen,

I am very glad you wrote. This is a tooth infection and it is spreading. I know it is hard to believe, but people still die from tooth infections. This is making its way to your brain and you do not want that. I know you are busy, but this is something that you will need to make time for. Because of how much it has spread already, I would consider it a dental emergency. Ideally, you want to save the tooth by getting a root canal treatment and then have a dental crown placed on top of it.

If the tooth cannot be saved, then you will need to have it extracted and replaced. You do not want to leave the tooth place empty. If you do, the other teeth will drift or tip into the open space. This could lead to painful TMJ Disorder, so it is important you replace the tooth. There are a great number of tooth replacement options from the top of the line with dental implants all the way down to something like a dental flipper.

A dental implant is the most like having a healthy, natural tooth in your mouth again, but they are a bit pricey. The dental flipper is the cheapest but they are meant to be temporary while you save up for a better option. There are a couple of options in between those two ends of the spectrum as well.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentists Drs. Murphree and Yount.

Antibiotics and a Tooth Infection

December 16, 2023 by writeradmin

I have had a tooth infection for two weeks. He’s given me antibiotics with a cocktail of Keflex and Flagyl. Initially, the swelling was over my whole cheek and up to my eye. It has improved. In fact, it has almost gone, but now that the antibiotics are done I am hurting again and the swelling has started back. Should I ask for a refill or do I need a different type of antibiotic?

Curtis

Dear Curtis,

Either you misunderstood something your dentist said or your dentist has a profound and dangerous understanding of how tooth infections work. Antibiotics are NOT a cure for a tooth infection. The most you will get from them is a temporary protection from a spreading infection while you wait for the actual treatment.

In order to get rid of a tooth infection, you have to remove the infected pulp. There are two options. First, you can have a root canal treatment done. Second, you can have a tooth extraction. A root canal treatment is the ideal solution because it will save your tooth. When a dentist prescribes an antibiotic, he should also schedule the follow up treatment and carefully explain to the patient the importance of following through.

Because we are used to using antibiotics for medical issues, patients sometimes think that is enough. Because you just had the antibiotics and not the treatment, your infection returned. I would consider your situation a dental emergency. Call your dentist back and ask the office what the plan was for the follow up treatment. Explain what is going on because at the very least he or she needs to open up the tooth to relieve the pressure and allow a place for drainage.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.

Is a Cracked Crown a Dental Emergency?

October 31, 2023 by writeradmin

I have four dental crowns on my front teeth for a bit over twenty years. One of them has always had a minor defect. I was told that was fairly common. I could never see it but if I ran my tongue over it I could feel a tiny dip. However, now something has changed. There is a horizontal crack on it. I can both see and feel it. Is this a dental emergency that I need to take care of right away or is it something that I can put off for a bit? What I don’t want is for it to break when I am in public. I am not opposed to replacing it. I just need to know how fast I need to do it.

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

As your dentist told you, minor defects, called craze lines, are usually not that big of a deal, but yours has changed significantly. While I would not call it a dental emergency, I do think this needs to be replaced. It is going to break at some point. I would talk to your dentist and make arrangements at a time that is convenient for you. This way you have more control.

Your dental crowns have lasted you quite some time, which says a lot about the dentist who placed them. I would have your dentist give you an idea of the condition of the other three at the same time you schedule the other crown’s replacement. It may be better to change them out all at the same time if they are showing signs of failure. In that case, changing them all at once will save you time from having to go back and forth to the dentist every time each one of them fails. However, if they’re in good condition, there is no reason for you to change the others.

I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.

Tooth Infection and No Money

July 17, 2023 by writeradmin

I am a college student with no dental insurance and no money. I had a tooth I neglected because of finances which had a cavity. Now, I think it is infected. At least that is what my roommate says. I am in a lot of pain. Now, my cheek is swollen. It is almost the size of a golf ball. How do I get this fixed, bearing in mind I am broke?

Maddy

Dear Maddy,

I am sorry for the pain, as well as the predicament you are in. Being a college student is not easy, even when you don’t have medical or dental expenses to think about. What you do not want to do is to try to treat this with antibiotics alone. While these are helpful in holding the infection at bay for a short time, once your antibiotics are finished, your infection will return, raging. Then, it is possible that the antibiotic will no longer work if the infection develops a resistance to that particular medication.

The only way to truly “heal” a dental infection is to remove the infected pulp. There are two ways to do this. The first is with a root canal treatment. This is the preferred option because it will save the natural tooth. If the infection is too far gone and the tooth cannot be saved, then you would extract the tooth. When that happens you will also need to replace the tooth.

Because you are in a financial bind, I would start by calling your local dental society and see if there are any programs in your area that help low income residents with dental emergencies. This is a dental emergency that you do not want to ignore. The tooth infection will continue to spread. Your jaw is close to both your throat and your brain. You don’t want a brain infection, nor do you want it to reach your throat. if that happens, your windpipe could swell up and then you would not be able to breathe.

If there are not any programs in your area for people in your situation, then I recommend that you just start calling some local dentists and explain your situation. Most dentists are compassionate and went into their profession in order to help people. I feel confident someone will give you the treatment you need and then allow you to pay out the bill a little at a time.

This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Dentist Dr. Alan Yount.
An Auburn, AL College Dentist.