She Needs to See a Specialist
Question submitted by: Caroline
For the last couple of weeks, I have been having tooth pain. Because of my dental anxiety, I don’t really have a dentist. I was hurting, so I did go to see an emergency dentist. He did an x-ray and said that there is now an infection on a tooth that already had a filling. He felt only about 10% of the tooth was viable and he didn’t think that it could be saved. He is suggesting that I extract the tooth and replace it with a dental implant. I am willing to do this if it is necessary, but my dental fear is real. I’d like to avoid it if at all possible. Are there any other options for me? Will an antibiotic save the tooth or is it too late?
Caroline
Dear Caroline,
I’m sorry you are going through this. I am going to say up front that I have some doubt about your dentist’s diagnosis. Here’s why. First, if the tooth were really that far gone, the dentist you went to see would not need an X-ray to determine that. There would be a large hole. So large, in fact, that the filling would have fallen into it. Additionally, your tooth would have started hurting much sooner than just a couple of weeks ago.
My suggestion is you get a second opinion before moving forward with any further procedure. Antibiotics will not cure a tooth infection, but they can hold it at bay temporarily while you get this looked at by someone else. If the tooth is infected, the only way to truly “cure” it is to either get a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction. If by chance you do need an extraction, then a dental implant is the best tooth replacement. That is the one thing I am confident the dentist you saw got right.
Dealing with Dental Anxiety
You are not alone in avoiding the dentist because of dental anxiety. The good new is that this is easily dealt with. I recommend that you look for a sedation dentist. They can provide you with a medication that will completely relax you, enabling you to get not just an anxiety-free, but a pain-free appointment as well.
Patients who were never able to go to the dentist regularly because of fear have found their life completely transformed. Not only are they able to go to the dentist, but they quickly catch up on all their oral health needs.
This blog is brought to you by Tucson Prosthodontist Dr. Howard Steinberg.