dental implant Archives - Auburn Dental

Tooth Swelling and Pain After Tooth Extraction

June 13, 2025 by writeradmin

I had a tooth next to my lower left wisdom tooth extracted. Because of the infection, there was already swelling before it was extracted. After the extraction, my dentist gave me some amoxicillin. I’ve finished that but there is still pain. The pain is severe enough that pain medicine is not doing anything. Do you have a recommendation for me?

David

Dear David,

I’m glad you wrote. I sounds like you still have an infection. I would start by calling your dentist and let them know what is going on. They’ll probably switch your antibiotic and have you come back in. An additional x-ray wouldn’t be a horrible idea, though not necessary. You could see if the new antibiotic works first.

Some bacteria don’t respond well to amoxicillin, but it is a decent one to start with. If it continues after the next round of antibiotics, I would look for a further infection. You don’t want to end up with an another dental emergency.

You mentioned the tooth that was extracted was in front of a wisdom tooth, meaning one of your other molars. I hope your dentist mentioned the importance of replacing the extracted tooth. Otherwise, your adjacent teeth will tip or shift into the empty area. This could lead to headaches, jaw pain, and even more severe TMJ Disorder issues.

The best type of tooth replacement is a dental implant. This is the closest thing to having a healthy, natural tooth in your jaw. Once the infection is completely dealt with, talk to your dentist about your tooth replacement options.

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

Is My Dentist Being Ridiculous?

May 16, 2025 by writeradmin

I have a tooth that has been bothering me for a while. Now, the pain is traveling up to my cheek. I went to see the dentist. All I wanted was some antibiotics. He insists the tooth is infected and that I need a root canal. I’m not looking to get an extra procedure. I just want the antibiotics. After a LOT of back and forth, he agreed to give them to me, but only if I signed something that essentially said that I understand this won’t completely solve my problem and I have been told that I need additional treatment, such as a root canal treatment. I signed it, but honestly, I feel like he is being ridiculous. Is there any validity to this or should I just look for another dentist?

Karen

Dear Karen,

I am glad you wrote. While I am not privy to the conversation between you and your dentist and cannot give an opinion on how he went about things, I can speak to the information he is giving you.

Antibiotics do not “cure” a tooth infection. The best they can do is get it under control if it has spread so that you can have the appropriate treatment. If your pain has gone up your cheek then it has definitely spread, so antibiotics as a starting point are the appropriate action to take. However, once your antibiotics run out, then the infection will blow back up again. I would consider your situation a dental emergency.

The only real way to treat an infected tooth permanently is for a dentist to get in there and remove the infected pulp. Your treatment procedure should be to give you some antibiotics to get the infection contained and to schedule a follow-up appointment to take care of the infected pulp.

Ideally, this would be with a root canal treatment because it will save the tooth. If the infection or tooth is too far gone, then you will have to have the tooth extracted. In that case you will also need to replace the tooth so there is not shifting of your bite because of the open space. The reason you don’t want that is because shifting can lead to painful TMJ disorder. Replacing your lost tooth can avoid that.

If it does come to that, the best tooth replacement is a dental implant. However, there are other options.

Your first step, though, is to get this infection dealt with. If you don’t, it will continue to spread. Then, a dental emergency can turn life threatening. Believe it or not, people still die from untreated tooth infections every year.

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

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.