I had a tooth that was hurting me on 10/7. My dentist prescribed antibiotics for ten days. It started feeling better right away. It still feels better. But, I’m scheduled for a tooth extraction in two more weeks. Is it really necessary to have the tooth extracted if I don’t have any pain? I’m not fond of the dentist so I wouldn’t mind avoiding the extraction if I can.
Eloise
Dear Eloise,
I’m very glad you wrote. If the tooth was infected then, it is infected now. The antibiotic will help calm your infection down but is unable to get to the source of the problem. Eventually, because of that, the infection will flare back up. It was good that your dentist prescribed the antibiotic. However, he or she should have scheduled your treatment for while you were still on the medication. That way the tooth is calm and more easily treated.
The first thing I would do is call the dentist and ask for enough of an antibiotic to get you to the tooth extraction and a few days after that in order to proceed safely. I’m curious as to why your dentist is recommending the tooth not get a root canal treatment. That would allow you to save your tooth. Unless it is too far gone to be saved, that would be the better treatment. If it is more a matter of your dentist not liking to do root canal treatments, then they can give you a recommendation for a good endodontist, which are root canal specialists. If the tooth is too far gone, than the tooth extraction will be the next option.
As for you not being keen on the dentist, you are not alone. Many patients have dental anxiety. The good news is that there is a solution. I would have your work done by a sedation dentist. There are different levels of sedation. For easy work, you could have nitrous oxide. For more extensive work you can have oral conscious sedation. In fact, that is so strong that you could sleep through the procedure if you wanted to.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Holistic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.