Theriot Family Dental

What Antibiotics Do I Need for My Tooth Infection?

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A couple of years ago, I had a root canal treatment on a tooth infection. Then, the pandemic hit and I lost my job. I was not able to go back and afford the cap for the tooth. The filling part for the hole fell out. I was using store bought filling for a while, but I wasn’t able to keep up with it. Since then, I think the tooth has become infected. I would love to know if there is an antibiotic my doctor can give me to deal with the infection. While I still have some medical insurance, I don’t have any dental coverage at the moment.

Bill

Dear Bill,

Man in pain and in need of an emergency dentist

 

I am sorry for the hardships you have been facing. It has been a difficult few years, hasn’t it? I hope you are able to find work soon. In the meantime, let’s get this tooth dealt with. It is a common misconception that antibiotics can cure a tooth infection. Unfortunately, they can’t. The best they can do is to hold off the infection until you are able to get it properly dealt with by a dentist.

There are two ways to deal with a tooth infection. The first is a root canal treatment. The second is a tooth extraction. I realize you are in a difficult circumstance financially. I am going to suggest you look for a dentist who would be willing to work with you financially. An infected tooth is a dental emergency. Most dentists went into their field because they wanted to help people. I am sure if you call around you can find someone willing to help you. I’d start by looking up dentists using the search term “affordable dentist” along with the city you live in.

Hopefully, you are able to repair this and not need to have the tooth extracted. If it turns out that you do need to extract the tooth, you will want to replace it. The best tooth replacement is a dental implant but those are quite expensive. My suggestion would be that you get a dental flipper as a temporary replacement and then get the implant when things are better for you financially. I’m hopeful that all this craziness with the pandemic and the economy will end and we can all get back to life.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. John Theriot.