I know it’s wrong but I hadn’t been to the dentist in years. It’s just hard to give up time just to be tortured. I had a horrible toothache, so I had to go see the first dentist who could get me in. I went to a dentist He told me I had a molar deeply infected which had to be removed. He agreed to remove it right then and did. I went home and rested. The next day, I felt worse instead of better and my nose was bothering me. I called the office and they said to give it some time and if my nose bothered me I could try some decongestants. By the next day, I had a fever and told them I’d need to come in for them to look. When I came in and he had a look, he told me my sinus was perforated and pulled out some bone, then gave me a prescription for an antibiotic. It’s been a week and I feel worse than ever. I’m not sure I trust him anymore. Do you have any recommendations for me?
Laurie
Dear Laurie,
I don’t blame you for not feeling confident about this doctor. Truthfully, when you have to see a dentist in an emergency, you don’t get a lot of choices. It’s whoever can fit you in. In a moment, I’ll help you with your issue with dentists. Right now, however, we need to get your health back.
This dentist has you on the wrong antibiotic. I want you to call an ENT and let them know what’s going on. Schedule an emergency visit but have him call in the correct antibiotic for you. Now, let’s talk about why I never want you to visit this dentist again. Though, he should be paying for your ENT visit.
Most of the time, these heal up on there own, but yours has progressed so much that you’ll likely need treatment and possibly surgical repairs.
First, he should have told you right away when he perforated your sinus. It’s not unheard of for this to happen during an extraction and there is a protocol he didn’t follow. When he informed you he was supposed to tell you not to put any undue pressure on the area, such as by blowing your nose.
Either he tried to cover up the incident or he was too incompetent to notice he made one. Neither scenario imbues me with much confidence in him.
Avoiding Emergency Dental Care
Not all dentists are sadists who like torturing people. Many get into the field because they wanted to help people. You want that type of dentist. If I were in your place trying to find one I’d start by doing an internet search for a Cater to Cowards dentist. I’m not saying you’re a coward. But, some dentists promote themselves this way so patients with anxiety know they’ll be gentle with them.
However, don’t go to a dentist just because he says he’s good with fearful patients. Take the additional step of checking their reviews to make sure they are as patient-friendly as they advertise to be. Yelp! and Google Reviews both usually have a lot of responses.
You’ll find with regular dental care, there is much less fear of painful visits because things are up to date and in good shape. A visit to an emergency dentist will be rare indeed.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.