tooth ache Archives - Drake & Wallace Dentistry

Shared Tooth Trauma

Posted on April 11, 2024 by writeradmin.

I had an accident that injured two front teeth. The dentist that treated me said that one of the teeth needed a root canal treatment, but the other one appeared to be fine. A couple of months later the dentist put a crown on the root canaled tooth. Close to two years later the tooth began to bother me again. It became sensitive to both hot and cold. I went to see the dentist again who didn’t see anything wrong with the tooth. He did take an x-ray but said nothing was there. I went to see an endodontist who said the pain was probably coming from the tooth next to it because it looks like I clench and grind my teeth. I went home discouraged. Now there is a pimple on the gum next to the tooth with the root canal. I’m terrified that I am going to lose this tooth. Do you have any advise for me? The pain is getting worse and nobody seems to be listening to me.

Anne

Dear Anne,

I am a bit bothered by the type of care you are getting. I don’t think this is the best dentist for you. This is not really a tricky diagnostic procedure. Once you had the root canal treatment, the pain could not be coming from that tooth, which would have removed the nerve. A front tooth would not have any tricky canals that could have been missed the way a molar could.

Not seeing anything on the x-ray is not surprising because the inflammation would not show up until the infection set in. The pimple on your gums is a sign of an infection called a tooth abscess.

When there is trauma to a tooth, it is not unusual for a tooth that has been traumatized to not show any symptoms for quite some time. Some will take years. However, there is an infection now and it needs to be dealt with. My suggestion is to go back to your dentist and show him the abscess. If he still won’t help you, there are dentists who will see non-established patients in the case of dental emergencies. I would consider your case one that would qualify. You will likely need another root canal treatment and dental crown. Hopefully, your dentist placed a porcelain crown on your front tooth. That is what you will want.

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

Are There Things an Emergency Dentist Cannot Do?

Posted on February 28, 2023 by writeradmin.

I live in two states. One I live in eight months of the year and the other four months of the year. Normally, I only see a dentist in state one, where I spend most of my time. However, this past winter, while I was in the other state, I ended up with a dental emergency. I looked up emergency dentists and called their office. They got me in the same day and got me out of pain, then followed up a week later and finished out the treatment I needed. Overall, it was a great experience, especially considering how much pain I was in. I wondered if emergency dentists can do other things. Like, could I go to both dentists just as dentists or do emergency dentists only work on emergencies?

Andrew

Dear Andrew,

That is a great question. In reality, emergency dentists are actually just general dentists who arrange their hours so that if a patient, or even a non-established patient, has a dental emergency, they can work them in for treatment. Often, these are dentists who understand that many people have a dental phobia and end up in dental emergency situations, or who are away from home when things blow up. They want them to have options for treatment.

I am glad it was such a great experience for you. As to whether this dentist can do everything your one in the other state can, it would depend on the type of services offered. All general dentists will do your basic bread and butter dentistry, such as cleanings, fillings, and crowns. However, other dentists offer things such as sedation dentistry, teeth whitening, or even more advanced procedures such as dental implants and porcelain veneers.

I would speak to the dentist, who worked on your emergency situation about what services you generally need and see if he offers them.

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.