I need advice on what to do. I went to my dentist telling him that my first molar (#19 according to an online chart) was bothering me. He felt like it was actually because of an impacted wisdom tooth. He suggested I get a filling, which I did, but it didn’t help. Then, he suggested I pull the tooth, which I did, but it didn’t help. A few weeks later, my cheek became swollen. I went to the hospital and they told me that I had a tooth infection and needed to see a dentist. The abscessed tooth is on the first molar, like I originally said. I’m not sure I trust my dentist. Should I see a specialist?
Ashley
Dear Ashley,
I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m not sure why your dentist thought a filling would fix an impacted wisdom tooth or why he didn’t check out the tooth you told him was hurting. You didn’t mention anything about him doing x-rays, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do them. Either way, I wouldn’t trust this dentist either.
When you have an abscessed tooth it is serious. The fact that yours has spread to your cheek makes it more serious. I would consider it a dental emergency at this point. You don’t have to see your current dentist. I understand why you are having trouble trusting him. However, you do need to see a dentist soon. It doesn’t necessarily need to be a specialist, just someone able to treat you.
Most dentists leave room in their schedule for dental emergencies. Just explain to them what is going on and someone will get you in quickly. Hopefully, all you will need is a root canal treatment. That will save your tooth, but you will still likely need a dental crown on it.
If the tooth is too far gone to save, then the tooth will have to be extracted. Don’t just leave the open space once the tooth is gone. It will be important for you to replace the tooth. The ideal replacement will be a dental implant, but there are other options as well. Your first order of business is to get this tooth infection treated.
This blog is brought to you by Portage, MI Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.