I have an infected tooth. It’s bothered me for a while but now it is swollen up to my cheek. I’m flat broke. Is there a way for me to treat this at home?
Laney
Dear Laney,
I am sorry for the stress this must be bringing to you. It’s hard when you’re broke but have legitimate needs. Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to treat this at home. There are only two ways to treat a tooth infection. The first is a root canal treatment. The second is a tooth extraction. This is because your dentist has to physically remove the infected pulp.
We get a lot of questions from people asking if an antibiotic will do the trick. The only thing it will do is keep the infection at bay while you are waiting to get in to see the dentist. Once your antibiotic runs out, the infection will flare right back up. A root canal treatment is the more ideal of the two options because it preserves your natural tooth.
Most dentists are compassionate and got into their field because they want to help people. The first thing I would do is call around and explain your circumstances. Make sure that you mention how it has swelled your cheek. That indicates a spreading infection, which is a dental emergency. You don’t want to put it off because untreated tooth infections can turn serious quickly. About 6 to 10 people a year die from untreated tooth infections.
If you can’t pay it right away, some dentists will allow you to pay out your fee over time. They will get you out of immediate danger and then let you save up for the remainder of the procedure.
There are also charity dental clinics that will work on patients for free in order to help them out. Be aware that they will do the least expensive treatment option. For instance, if you needed to replace all of your teeth, they would provide removable dentures and not dental implants, even though implants are the better option.
This blog is brought to you by a compassionate dentist in Kalamazoo, Dr. Susan Dennis.