dental emergency Archives - Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Best Dentist for a Weird Toothache

Posted on December 7, 2022 by writeradmin.

I’m not sure what type of dentist I should go to. I have a toothache that comes and goes. It’s mostly on my gums by the tooth and it only happens periodically. When it does flare up there is terrible pressure on my nose and eye. So, do I need an ENT, a regular dentist, a root canal doctor, or someone completely different?

Janet

Dear Janet,

Based on what you are describing I think the best dentist would be for you to see your normal family dentist. It sounds like the pulp of the tooth is struggling and possibly dying. You may have had trauma to the tooth that caused this or there can be some other issue. What you don’t want it to do is rear up into a nasty infection, which can happen quickly. You’ll need some diagnostics done to verify what is going on. For instance, if there is trauma that has damaged the pulp you will need a root canal treatment, but what if the trauma fractured the tooth? These diagnostics will be important.

If you don’t have a regular dentist you see, there are dentists who will see non-established patients in the case of a dental emergency. A toothache is generally considered an emergent situation.

The eye and nose pain you described is fairly normal. If you’re dealing with an eye tooth, the pain shoots up. Or, it is possible you have long tooth roots that are close to your sinus cavity. Any flareup with your teeth will cause some discomfort in the sinuses in that case. You may also notice if you have a sinus infection that you have pressure on your teeth, but it will be different from what you are describing.

Even if your tooth does need a root canal treatment, your general dentist can handle that more affordably for you than a specialist. Though, if it is complicated, he or she may recommend a specialist. The first order of business, though is just to get this checked out.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Affording Dental Care in a Bad Economy

Posted on June 24, 2022 by writeradmin.

I am barely getting by at the moment and now I think I have a cavity. Are there tips for affording dental care during this economy? I’m not sure I can afford this cavity.

Ben

Dear Ben,

It certainly is one of the worst economies we’ve had since the Great Depression. Everyone is feeling the pinch. Without exaggeration, the best way for you to save money is to get this cavity dealt with sooner rather than later. I’ll give you some ideas on how to save money with that in a moment. First, I’m going to explain why it is so important.

The big takeaway is that this is the cheapest your treatment will be. The longer you wait to deal with it, the more expensive it gets. A small cavity is more affordable than a large one. A large cavity costs less than a dental crown, which is what you will need once the decay reaches about 30% of your tooth. A crown is cheaper than needing a root canal treatment, which also requires a crown. A root canal is cheaper than an extraction and tooth replacement by thousands of dollars.
What could only be a couple of hundred dollars could turn into $4,000 or more. So you’ll want to go in as soon as possible.

Getting Affordable Dental Care

There are a couple of things you can do in addition to preventative and timely care. First, you can see if there is a dental school in your area. They will do discounted work because they are training up new dentists. There is a trade-off with this. First, the students, though supervised, are not as experienced. This means they will be learning while they do your dental work. Second, because they are learning. It will take much longer than if you went to the dentist. If you’re paid by the hour and don’t get time off for things such as medical or dental, this may end up costing you more money.

A second option is to do an internet search using the term “affordable dentist“. Generally, these are dentists who strive to not only keep their prices reasonable, but they often will offer some type of payment plan. Some dentists will have in-office payment plans. Others will choose instead to work with an outside finance company, such as Care Credit. Care Credit is a medical credit card of sorts. They offer very flexible payment plans with both low and (in some cases) no interest.

As I mentioned earlier, it is in your financial benefit to get this taken care of right away. It’s also in your physical benefit. You don’t want it to turn into a dental emergency.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, Al Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Pediatric Dentist Want to do a Pulpotomy

Posted on October 27, 2020 by writeradmin.

My daughter has a tooth that has decay and our pediatric dentist wants to do a pulpotomy. I am confused by this. It’s a baby tooth. Why not just take it out? They’re not permanent teeth so what is the big deal? When I questioned the dentist he literally snorted and said, “Tell me where you got your dental degree?” I was so offended.

Cathey

Dear Cathey,

I find his response to you extremely rude and arrogant. Yes, he has a dental degree, but that is why you asked him the question to begin with. I find when patients are questioning something a medical practitioner says it is mostly because they are trying to understand the recommendation. This is especially true when it comes to parents trying to take care of their children. My first recommendation to you is that you start looking for a new pediatric dentist. One who understands the responsibility parents hold and how to respect that.

When Does a Baby Tooth Need to be Retained?

Let’s start with what a pulpotomy is to begin with. In essence, it is a child’s version of a root canal treatment. It is only necessary when it is a back molar. While most baby teeth can come out early with no real repercussions, a back molar needs to stay in a child’s mouth until they are around twelve years old.

If a molar falls out prematurely, it will cause the other teeth to shift into the empty space and then when her twelve-year-old molars come in, there will be crowding, which will require orthodontics to repair. I don’t know any parent who wants to pay for braces.

If it is another tooth, then saving that tooth isn’t as urgent. However, don’t just leave an infection there. Your choices are to treat the decay/infection or to extract the tooth. Leaving decay can get into the pulp of the tooth. This can spread to other parts of her body. If you think about how close our jaws are to our heart, lungs, and brain, you can see how a dental emergency can turn life-threatening quickly.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Can a Dental Infection Cause a Fever?

Posted on October 31, 2019 by writeradmin.

My daughter has been a bit of a fever and now is complaining her tooth hurts. I know this sounds callous, but I’m really hoping it is medical and not dental because medical is cheaper. I can just give her an ibuprofen and hope it’s viral. If it can mean there is a tooth infection then I have to see a dentist and I just don’t have that kind of money right before Christmas. Does this make me sound like a terrible mother?

Paula

Dear Paula,

No, you don’t sound like a bad mother. You simply sound like a mother not wanting to spend money unnecessarily. That is an important quality too. While a tooth infection can cause a fever, that doesn’t necessarily mean that is what she has. It usually takes a bit for a dental infection to leave the confines of the tooth, which is when there would more likely be a fever.

Sometimes a cold or sinus infection can mimic tooth pain. That is because our tooth roots of our upper teeth are close to our sinuses. As a result, referred pain is a real possibility. If you’re talking about her bottom teeth, that is not as likely.

When you have children, finding affordable dental care is a must. Things blow up quickly in little ones. If it was a tooth infection and your daughter needed treatment, most dentists are understanding and have some type of payment plan option. They may have an in-house plan or work through Care Credit.

In your case, I would give her some ibuprofen along with some cold and sinus medication and see if that takes care of things. If it doesn’t, then you would need to look into seeing a dentist. What you don’t want to do is know it is a dental issue and leave it to fester. Then, it could quickly turn into a dental emergency.

Prompt attention to issues truly saves money in the long run. If it turns out it isn’t her sinuses, take her to see a pediatric dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Can’t Afford Dentist with an Infected Tooth

Posted on July 13, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’ve been avoiding the dentist because he expects payment for everything up front. I had a cavity I didn’t have the money to get it filled because he wanted full payment, so I put it off. Now I’m pretty sure the tooth is infected. It hurts like mad and that part of my face is starting to swell. Will going to the ER to get antibiotics help?

Perry

Dear Perry,

Antibiotics alone won’t solve this problem. Tooth infections are different. A dentist has to physically go in and remove the infected pulp with a procedure known as a root canal treatment. You’re in a tough spot, but this is considered a dental emergency and I don’t want you to ignore it. There are ways to get the treatment you need but I want you to understand how serious this is.

Your face is already starting to swell which means your infection has already started spreading. Think about how close your jaw is to your heart and brain. If it manages to reach those areas, it can become life-threatening quickly. This is important.

Ways of Affording Dental Care

Though your dentist expects full payment up front, not every dentist is the same way. Some, especially in the case of an emergency like yours, will allow you to get the treatment you need and then pay it out. I would do an internet search using the term “affordable dentist“. These are the dentists most likely to be willing to work with you on payment.

Either they’ll have in house payment plans and let you pay them directly or they’ll work through Care Credit. This is a health credit card, with low and even no-interest payments depending on your credit.

This will allow you to get the treatment you need and hopefully save your tooth. The sooner you get seen the better chance you have of that. If you end up with a tooth extraction, that will also mean an expensive tooth replacement. Early intervention costs significantly less.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Dentist Punctured Sinus

Posted on November 26, 2018 by writeradmin.

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.

Is It Normal to Look Like a Mugging Victim After Dental Implant Surgery?

Posted on March 1, 2018 by writeradmin.

I think something went wrong during my implant surgery but my dentist is acting like everything was normal. During my consultation, he made it sound like this would be easy and I would be back to work the next day. It has been nothing like that. I feel and look like I’ve been beaten up. My jaw is bruised and swollen and I’m bleeding. I’m worried something bad happened and he doesn’t want to fess up. Is there a way to know?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

Well, I’m going to start out with some good news to put your mind at ease. First, you haven’t been physically attacked, though your body has been through trauma. Second, what you’re currently experiencing is considered normal side effects of the dental implant procedure. However, that doesn’t make what you’re dealing with any easier.

It wasn’t fair of your dentist to say you could be back at work the next day. Not only is that unrealistic after any surgery, every patient’s body is different and responds to medical procedures differently. There was no way for him to know how you’d do.

Generally, the second day after the procedure is the worst. You should start to see some improvement by the third day. By better, I don’t mean you feel like your old self, but you should start to see some improvement. For some people, it takes up to two weeks to feel themselves.

How to Know if Your Dental Implant Procedure Went Wonky

The road to improvement goes backward. If instead of feeling better after the third day you start to feel worse, that’s a sign something is wrong.

Signs of Infection. This would include fever and any type of oozing at the implant site. While some bleeding is normal directly after surgery, it should stop after the first couple of days.

If any of these things occur, you need to see your dentist right away. They should fit you in for an emergency appointment. Infection is the leading cause of dental implant failure so you want to be proactive and get it dealt with quickly.

Raising Your Chances For Successful Dental Implants

There are things which can positively affect the outcome of your procedure. The first is to be certain you take all the antibiotics your dentist gave you on schedule. This decreases your chance of infection. If you’re a smoker, it’s vitally important you at least cut back. Ideally, you’d want to quit smoking but I do understand that isn’t something easily done.

There is a real reason to try. Smoking reduces your blood flow which reduces your chances for healing and increases the chances of infection and developing gum disease, both of which can derail your implants.

Finally, make sure you eat and stay hydrated. I know you’re not feeling your best, but your body needs the energy and nutrition to aid your healing.

This blog is brought to you by Drs. Drake and Wallace.