Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection

I had a nasty pimple on my gums which turned out to be a tooth infection. I ended up in so much pain that I went to see an emergency dentist. Normally, I avoid you guys like the plague. No offense. Anyway, this dentist gave me some antibiotics to take. It helped for a short bit but now it’s worse. I’m not sure what to do. Do I ask for a refill or should I switch medicines?

Elliot

Dear Elliot,

I’m glad you wrote. I am hoping there was just some miscommunication between you and the dentist you went to see.  Antibiotics alone will not solve a tooth infection. the only way to do that is to physically remove the infected pulp. There are two ways to do that. The first is with a root canal treatment.

This is the ideal because it saves your tooth. If that isn’t possible then your next option is to have the tooth extracted. If that becomes necessary, than you will also want to replace the tooth. Otherwise, the adjacent teeth will shift or tip into the open spot which will throw off your bite. That could lead to TMJ disorder.

The only thing antibiotics can do is get the tooth infection under control while you wait to have the real treatment done. Once your antibiotics run out, then the infection will blow back up. It sounds like this is what is happening to you and you are back into an emergency dentist situation.

If the dentist you went to did not communicate that to you it means he either is an uncaring dentist or an incompetent one.  Either way, you’ll want to find a different one to finish out this treatment.

I know you said that you are not fond of the dentist. You are not alone in that sentiment. If the issue is dental anxiety, there is a great solution for that. I would look for a dentist who offers dental sedation options. This will allow you to have a pain-free and anxiety-free appointment. People who’ve avoided the dentist their whole lives find that dental sedation completely changes their lives and they are finally able to get caught up with years of neglected dental work.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Oksana Bailey, a female dentist in Draper, UT.