Emergency Dentist Archives | Williams Family Dentistry

Tooth Infected and No Money

Posted on March 31, 2025 by writeradmin.

I have an infected tooth and am in a lot of pain. However, I don’t have much money, nor do I have dental insurance. I do have medical insurance, so I could go to a dentist to get an antibiotic. Do you have an antibiotic that you would recommend in my situation? There is now swelling all the up my cheek toward my temple and I’m absolutely miserable.

Stanley

Dear Stanley,

You’ve got a serious situation on your hands here. Your tooth infection is spreading. Right now you have a dental emergency. You do not want to let it get to your brain because your dental emergency can turn life threatening.

A tooth infection is different from other bacterial infections where you can take an antibiotic and be done with it. There are only two ways to get rid of an infection in a tooth. Both include getting rid of the infected pulp. You can do that with a root canal treatment or by extracting the tooth. The root canal treatment is the ideal because it will save the tooth.

If you end up with an extraction, you’ll want to replace the tooth as well. Otherwise, you risk the other teeth shifting or tipping into the empty space. This will throw off your bite and it could lead to TMJ disorder.

The most an antibiotic can do is hold the infection at bay until you get in to see a dentist. Once the medication runs out, the infection will flare back up and you’ll be in an even worse situation. You need to get this treated properly. People still die from untreated tooth infections.

I realize money is an issue here. I would do a search for an affordable dentist in your area. They would be more likely to work with you on payments.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James Williams.

Antibiotics and a Tooth Infection

Posted on September 30, 2023 by writeradmin.

I had a toothache that I just couldn’t get rid of. Normally, I would avoid the dentist like the plague but the pain became too much to bear. I went to see an emergency dentist. He gave me some prescription antibiotics to treat the infection. It did help at first. However, once it ran out I started feeling bad again. In fact, it got worse. Now my whole cheek is swollen. Would a second antibiotic finish off the infection or is it something worse than I thought?

Darrell

Dear Darrell,

Either there was a miscommunication and you didn’t hear that there needed to be some follow up action or the dentist who treated you has a serious lack of understanding in how tooth infections work. An antibiotic will only hold the infection at bay for a while, however, it will not cure the infection. There are two ways to really treat a tooth infection. The first is to do a root canal treatment. This is preferred because it saves the tooth. If that is not possible, the next option is to extract and replace the tooth. Hopefully, it will not come to that, but if it does the best tooth replacement is a dental implant.

I hope this was mentioned to you. My suggestion is that you call another dentist and get this tended to right away. People still die from tooth infections because they can spread to your heart, lungs, or brain, all of which are close to your jaw.

You are not the only patient to deal with dental anxiety by avoiding the dentist. Though, it is not the safest way for you to live. I believe I have a solution for you. I would like you to see an emergency dentist who also offers dental sedation. This is a way for you to have an anxiety-free/pain-free dental experinece.

Anxious patients, who have tried this, found that it completely changed their life. They were finally able to get their oral health under control and see the dentist without fear.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. James E. Williams.

A Cosmetic Emergency?

Posted on April 29, 2023 by writeradmin.

I have a daughter in college who had six porcelain veneers placed as a high school graduation gift. A year ago, one of them chipped. The doctor shaved the tooth to get rid of the chip and did the same to the next so they would match. Now, she’s noticing a bluish color in one of the veneers that were sanded. She is absolutely terrified that this will fall off. Do you think this will be okay until she gets home? If it falls off, can she superglue it? Did his repair cause this?

Patricia

Dear Patricia,

I wish I knew more about where this bluish color was showing up. However, based on just the information I have here, my best guess is she has a leaky porcelain veneer where the bond is failing between the tooth and the veneer. I don’t think your dentist’s repair caused this. The vibrations would not have damaged the bonding. It’s more likely this has been an issue from the beginning and is just now showing up.

The bad news is that this porcelain veneer probably will fall off at some point. It is best to let it fall off on its own. If that happens when she’s home from school, that’s pretty easy. She can just see her current dentist and he can do the repair. If it falls off when she is at school, please don’t have her superglue it. That will cause massive problems and she is unlikely to get it not perfectly, which can lead to open margins.

If you give me her area, I can give you the number of a solid cosmetic dentist who can see her for an aesthetic emergency and rebond it rather quickly. All that being said, if the tooth gets much darker, she may need to be seen to find out if there is something more serious going on like a dead tooth. You did mention there was some trauma to the tooth, which makes this a possibility.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Does My Dentist Needs to Know Everything?

Posted on February 15, 2023 by writeradmin.

I am supposed to go on a mission trip and am worried that I will disqualify myself if I tell my dentist everything. We are supposed to bring a letter of good health that includes both medical and dental. The thing is, I’ve had a toothache on and off on a canine tooth. I’m afraid if I tell him about it, I won’t get to go on my trip. Is it okay to leave something out when you’re talking to the dentist?

Ainsley

Dear Ainsley,

I can tell you are excited about your mission trip and it is wonderful that you are trying to help others. Here are some things to consider.

First, the toothache could be absolutely nothing to worry about. Your canine teeth roots can be long and up by your sinuses. It could be just a matter of some drainage or stuffiness that is giving referred pain.

Second, even if there is something wrong, it could be an easy quick solution and you are worrying over nothing.

Finally, if you ignore it and there is something there, that something could blow up while you are on your mission trip, leaving you with a dental emergency. If that happens, you probably will not have access to the proper care you need. Plus, you will be unable to serve the people you went there to help because you will be in too much pain.

Chances are, though, even if you do not tell your dentist if there is something wrong, he will find it in the course of your examination. It is always safer to be upfront with these types of things to be as efficient as possible.

Just because you have a toothache does not mean he cannot fix it in plenty of time for you to go on your trip with an honest clean bill of health.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Can I Charge a Venue for My Emergency Dental Visit

Posted on July 31, 2022 by writeradmin.

I was at a small venue I have attended many times for a concert and drinks. A fight broke out, which I was not involved in. Yet, the bouncer seemed to target me anyway and I was punched in the mouth. Because I was bleeding and my tooth felt funny, I scheduled an emergency dental visit. Now I find out that I need a root canal treatment. This is all become bloody expensive. I’m not from the U.S. so I don’t know what rights I have in this situation. Can I sue the venue to pay for my treatment?

Benedict

Dear Benedict.

First, let me say I am glad you had the wisdom to see a dentist right away. You could very well have saved your tooth. Great job! As to whether or not the venue will be held accountable to pay, that is a legal issue. What I can tell you is to find out if there is a record of the incident. Then, start by going to them directly and just explaining to them what happened, exactly as you did to me. Ask them to help cover your expenses. They may step up and do the right thing, saving you the trouble of a court battle.

If they say no, you may, of course, consult an attorney. I am not a lawyer so I hesitate to give out legal advice.

I am sorry this happened to you and I’m glad you had the wisdom to get an emergency dental appointment. Too many people put this off and end up losing a tooth they could have saved. It is much more expensive to replace a missing tooth than to repair a saveable one.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Dentist Doesn’t Understand Tooth Infections

Posted on May 31, 2022 by writeradmin.

I had a root canal treatment a few years ago. Everything was fine until about four weeks ago. Then it went crazy and started hurting again. I went to see my dentist. He did an x-ray and said that there was a new infection in the root canaled tooth. I agreed to a re-treatment. We did that. He gave me some antibiotics as well as some prescription pain meds. Three weeks later and I’m out of both antibiotics and pain meds. It had started to get better but the moment I ran out of meds, it flared back up. I called my dentist and he said to be patient because some people take longer than others to heal. Can you give me an idea how long this will take? I’m in a lot of pain and I get the impression my dentist is tired of hearing from me.

Jan

Dear Jan,

I’d like you to get in to see an endodontist (a root canal specialist) as soon as possible. I think you have a dental emergency on your hands and I am not convinced your dentist understands how these tooth infections work. There are a couple of things going on here. First, when a root canal treatment fails, a retreatment will only succeed about 1/2 the time. Each succeeding treatment has less of a chance of success. You need a specialist to get in there and do it.

Second, your dentist should have recognized that when you started to get better, but it flared back up after the antibiotics completed there is a new infection. This is Dental Infections 101. The fact that your dentist doesn’t understand this means he is in way over his head with your root canal.

Call an endodontist and tell them what is going on. If they can’t get you in right away, they will write you a new prescription in order to help keep the infection at bay.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Is a Cracked Porcelain Crown a Dental Emergency?

Posted on September 24, 2021 by writeradmin.

I’ve had four porcelain crowns for 15 years. One of them has always had a minor defect, but I could only feel a small divot with my tongue. The crown itself was fine. However, recently, it has changed. I can now see a line on it and it feels different as well. Is this in danger of breaking? Should I treat it as a dental emergency? Is there a way to repair it or do I need to replace it?

Catherine

Dear Catherine,

It sounds like this crown is about to be a problem. I would not consider it a dental emergency, but you will need to replace it sometime soon. One thing to be wary of is a dentist who tells you that you have to replace all of them in order to get them to match. That is not accurate. What it really means is he or she does not have the skill requisite to match a single crown. That is, admittedly, difficult. It is not impossible, though. It just takes some work.

If you actually prefer to replace all the porcelain crowns at once, that is completely fine and up to you. While it may cost you a little more initially, you will save yourself time with repeated appointments as they go out one by one. Just don’t let a dentist pressure you into it. There is nothing wrong with you replacing them just as you need to.

One thing I want you to consider if you decide to get them replaced all at once is the color of your teeth. If you are content with your teeth’ color, no further action is necessary. However, if you are considering brightening the color anytime soon, it will save you a significant amount of money to have your teeth whitening done before you replace your crowns. This way, the new crowns will match the updated color.

Once your crowns are completed, there is no way to change the color. If you whiten your teeth later, you will have the additional expense of replacing the crowns yet one more time in order for them to match.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Disagreeing with Her Oral Surgeon

Posted on December 3, 2020 by writeradmin.

I had two root canals done on my left jaw. In addition to that, I have an impacted wisdom tooth, which is infected. The teeth that had the root canal still bother me. I want my oral surgeon to take out all the teeth at once but he is refusing, so I haven’t gone back to do the wisdom tooth. I feel like I should be the one to decide how many teeth are removed. Can you give me anything I can say to him to change his mind?

Marilyn

Dear Marilyn,

I am worried you are playing with fire here. I haven’t examined you or seen any x-rays. Anything I say will be a guess. Here is what I can infer from what you’re saying. You want three teeth removed but your oral surgeon only wants to take out the one infected wisdom tooth. Truthfully, your oral surgeon would make three times the money extracting all the teeth you are asking him to. The fact that he is saying no means that he doesn’t think those teeth need to be extracted.

You basically have a couple of safe options here. The first is to go ahead and get the infected wisdom tooth removed, following your dentist’s advice and leave the other teeth. The second is to go to a different dentist will less integrity who will remove healthy teeth just for the fees it generates.

The worst thing you can do is leave the wisdom tooth there trying to hold your dentist hostage to your desire. Infected teeth are considered dental emergencies for a very good reason. Without the proper treatment, this will spread. Your jaw is close to your heart, lungs, and brain. You don’t want the infection spreading there.

The benefit of just removing the wisdom tooth is you get to keep some natural teeth, which is always important. Also, while an extracted wisdom tooth doesn’t need to be replaced, the molars will. That adds another expense. The best tooth replacement is a dental implant, which means surgery.

I know you said the root-canaled teeth are still bothering you. Here is my suggestion. It is likely those teeth are bothering you because of the infected tooth. Once that is extracted, you should get some relief. Do that. Keep yourself safe. Then, if the teeth are still bothering you, go ahead and get them extracted. I’d just have for you to lose healthy teeth unnecessarily.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentists Dr. John Weaver.

Antibiotics for a Tooth Infection

Posted on August 2, 2020 by writeradmin.

I saw a dentist two weeks ago for a tooth that was infected. He has me on two antibiotics. I was getting better and then three days ago, it started to get worse again. Now I am swollen up to my eye. Am I on the wrong antibiotic?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

I am hoping there was a miscommunication between you and your dentist. Antibiotics alone will not treat a tooth infection. Their purpose is two-fold. First, they are used to get an infection under more control until the actual treatment is done. Second, they can hold off the infection for a short time while you wait for your appointment. Is it possible your dentist said you needed to schedule a follow-up appointment and you forgot about that part? If not, your dentist has a fundamental lack of understanding about tooth infections. So fundamental, it makes me question how he graduated.

Treating a Tooth Infection

The way to treat a tooth infection is for the dentist to physically remove the infected tissue. There are two ways of accomplishing this. The first is with a root canal treatment. This is the ideal solution because it saves your tooth, especially the root which is extremely important.

The second option is to extract the tooth. I only recommend this when the tooth cannot be saved. Once a tooth is extracted, it needs to be replaced. Otherwise, the other teeth will shift and tip into its place, which can throw off your bite leading to a lifetime of jaw pain from TMJ Disorder.

You should be aware that infected teeth are considered a dental emergency. This is because the infection will spread until proper treatment is completed. I am especially concerned by the fact that you are swollen up to your eye. You do not want a tooth infection to reach your brain, heart, or lungs. If it does it will become life-threatening rather quickly. Believe it or not, people still die from tooth infections.

If Your Tooth Can’t Be Saved

Hopefully, a simple root canal treatment is all you need. If it is too late to save your tooth, you have two good options for a tooth replacement. The ideal replacement is to get a dental implant. If that is not possible or if one of your adjacent teeth happens to need a dental crown, then getting a dental bridge is another good option for you.

Please don’t put off getting this dealt with. Call the dentist who you originally saw and tell him you need a root canal treatment right away.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.

Can an Infected Tooth Spread to a Salivary Gland?

Posted on July 3, 2020 by writeradmin.

My daughter has had two salivary gland infections right above where she had two root canal treatments on the same tooth. Could this be spreading to infect her salivary gland? The doctor can’t seem to figure out what is leading to the infections and this is the only thing I could think of that makes any sense. Do tooth infections spread out of the teeth?

Margie

Dear Margie,

A tooth infection can spread outside of the tooth. This is one of the reasons they are considered dental emergencies. Your jaw is very close to your heart, lungs, and brain so a dental infection can turn life-threatening if left untreated. That being said, yes, it is possible an infection has spread to your daughter’s salivary glands. However, that would only be possible if her root canal treatment had failed.

You mentioned this is the second root canal treatment on this tooth. That means she’s already had one failed root canal treatment. The chances of a successful treatment go down with each successive re-treatment. My advice to you is to see an endodontist, also known as root canal specialists, to have an x-ray done. The x-ray should show you if there is an infection present.

If the Tooth Can’t be Saved

If there is an infection, the root canal specialist will have a much better chance of giving you a successful treatment. It is also possible that this tooth cannot be saved. In that case, all that would be left is a tooth extraction. When a tooth is extracted, it needs to be replaced otherwise the adjacent teeth will shift or tip into the space, completely throwing off her bite.

The best tooth replacement option is a dental implant. However, if your daughter is a teenager, her jaw isn’t developed enough for that treatment yet. In that case, I would get her a dental flipper, which is an inexpensive temporary tooth replacement. You can use that until she is old enough for the dental implant.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Dentist Dr. John Weaver.