I have a missing tooth in the back of my mouth that I never replaced. Now, I have another tooth that is infected. It hurts so much that I cannot concentrate on anything anymore. This morning, my cheek started swelling. I don’t have any dental insurance and I was recently laid off from my job due to cutbacks. I have some Medicaid, but they don’t cover dental for adults. Is there anything I can do to help my tooth through my Medicaid, like an antibiotic that works on teeth?
Stephen
Dear Stephen,
Your situation is difficult. I am sorry you were laid off. I’ve seen so many people hurting economically these last few years. While the antibiotics can hold off an infection temporarily, once the antibiotics run out, your infection will return stronger than ever. Tooth infections are different than a bodily illness. They are more like a cancer. The only way to heal the tooth is for a dentist to get in there and physically remove the infected pulp.
There are two ways to accomplish this. The first is to have a root canal treatment done. This is where the dentist will open a hole in the tooth and remove the infected pulp, then fill the canal with dental material. This would be the preferred treatment because it will save your tooth.
If the tooth is too far gone, the next option is to extract the tooth. This ends up costing you more money in the long run because you will need to replace the tooth. If you don’t, your other teeth will eventually begin to drift or tip into the empty space. This will happen even faster for you because you already have a missing tooth in the area. Your bite is going to get thrown off and you may end up with TMJ Disorder and a lifetime of jaw pain and headaches.
Call your local dental society and see if there are any dentists who help a person in your situation. If not, there may be a dental school in your area. They have students doing the work so it is usually much less expensive. You are safe because there is an instructor there, but I would expect the appointment to take longer than your typical appointment. If none of that is available to you, I would simply call around to dentists in your area and explain your circumstances. Dentists are compassionate and are sometimes willing to work with someone financially during a dental emergency.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.