I had a root canal treatment and then didn’t get the cap put on. Now there is some kind of infection in the tooth again. Wheat kind of antibiotic is best for a tooth infection? I just want to call in to my doc to get them.

Brooke

Dear Brooke,

Antibiotics do not solve dental infections. They just hold it off until you go in for the proper treatment. The only way to truly treat a dental infection is to physically remove the infected tissue. This means a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction.

In your case, because you’ve already had a root canal treatment, you can either try a root canal re-treatment, which is less successful with each attempt, or you can have the tooth extracted.

If you do get an extraction, you will need to replace the tooth. If you don’t, the adjacent teeth will tip or shift into the open space leading to bite problems. You have several options for tooth replacements:

• Dental implants
• Dental Bridge
• Removable Partial Denture

The above treatments are list from the best downward. The implant is most like having a healthy natural tooth.

Just make sure you don’t leave the infection. These do spread and you don’t want it getting serious. People still die from tooth infections.

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