I am worried about something but my daughter’s dentist is blowing me off. She’s been yanking at her jaw and has a fever. I called in trying to get an emergency appointment with her dentist because of the fever and they told me to call her doctor because a tooth problem wouldn’t have a fever. Don’t any type of infections have fevers?
Misty
Dear Misty,
I hope your daughter’s dental staff misunderstood your question. If not, you have a better understanding of physiology than they do. You may need to find a different pediatric dentist.
I don’t like it when a children’s dentist doesn’t do a good job of communicating with parents. You are treating their children—the most important thing in their lives. A good pediatric dentist would be willing to answer as many questions as possible and make sure the parents are completely comfortable.
As to a fever, while not all dental infections will have one, some will. If your daughter is complaining about her jaw, that could indicate something is going on. You didn’t mention how old she is. Pulling at their jaw at a young age can simply mean she’s teething.
If she is old enough that she has her teeth, it could also mean an infection. These are considered a dental emergency. It was wise of you to try and get an appointment. If you have regular check-ups for her, they should be doing x-rays and would normally have noticed something before it blew up into an infection.
Either way, they don’t seem to be working with you. In your case, I recommend following your maternal instincts. If you are concerned, find a dentist who works with children who is willing to check her out.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.