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Author
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Topic: Absessed Tooth - 2nd Opinion
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Amy Burrows
unregistered
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posted 10-31-2005 03:38 PM
My son is 6 years old and just had a pulpotomy done this morning the tooth is infected. He had been in the ER twice over the weekend for the pain. His dentist put him on IC Pennicilin and tylenol with codine for pain but nothing is helping. Is there anything I can do to help him? He doesn't go back to the dentist to have the crown put on until Dec. 6 he has a temp. filling until then. I just hate to see him in pain like this. Any advice? Thanks
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 10-31-2005 03:54 PM
A pulpotomy oftens relieves the pain quickly. Please contact your dentist immediately or contact a pediatric dentist for a second opinion.
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Amy Burrows
unregistered
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posted 10-31-2005 04:11 PM
His dentist is a peds. dentist. He said the pain may last for about 24 hours yet because of the infection. I just don't know what else to do for the pain. My son says the pain is in his gums. I wonder if it may be from the shots to numb him? Thank you for your quick reply.
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Ann
unregistered
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posted 11-02-2005 06:59 PM
I am worried right now. I have an absessed tooth that I've been deal with off & on for about 2 years now. My dentist said the tooth is not decayed, but it's probably my wisdom tooth. Anyways, I had a little hole on the back of my tooth from when he started a root canal & every so often it would drain & release pressure, well, last week he patched it up & the swelling got worse. He gave me Amox-Clav 875 mg to take, it's not working been taking them since Thursday. Earlier today I pressed on the absess a little bit & it broke open a bit bled & oozed a bit... it's still very swollen & kinda hurts. I can't get back in until 11/19. Any suggestions in the meantime? Thanks in advance.
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 11-02-2005 11:03 PM
RCT on a wisdom tooth? That's unlikely.If you are insistent on saving this tooth, consider asking for a referral to an endodontist (RCT specialist).
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Ann
unregistered
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posted 11-03-2005 08:02 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS:
RCT on a wisdom tooth? That's unlikely.If you are insistent on saving this tooth, consider asking for a referral to an endodontist (RCT specialist).
No, sorry... I meant it was a RC on my front tooth (which is not even decayed). He says the absessed it self is caused by my wisdow tooth. I know my wisdom tooth is gonna have to be pulled, but they are badly impacted & I'm a little nervous about it.
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in pain
unregistered
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posted 11-04-2005 11:00 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Kaps:
I have an absess that has swollen the left side of my face, there isnt really any pain but the swelling is pretty bad. I do not have insurance and cannot afford a trip to the dentist, is there any thing I could do from home to get the swelling to go down?
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misery
unregistered
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posted 11-17-2005 12:22 AM
I'm in pain. Bad pain. I don't think it gets worse than this, but I don't know-- never had a kid. 6 months ago I had an abcessed lower (last one in the back) left tooth pulled. But that's not the real story. The real story is that almost ALL my teeth are rotten. And for whatever reason, about five or six of them are flaring up simeltaneously. You know the story- no insurance, haven't been to the dentist, dont want to be judged etc. But guess what-- its starting to swell up now. My jaw, my cheekbone-- the pain radiates. SO- i found a clinic. I'm going to get brave and take my horrible teeth in there tomorrow. Believe me, if 1000 mgs doses of ibprofen were still working, I wouldnt go. I KNOW my teeth are disgusting, ok? I just want them gone. I wish I could find a stash of something- any kind of drug- to knock me out- and have someone pull them. I dont care about saving them anymore. But guess what-- I dont have 2000 dollars to pay. And my guess is I'm going to go to this clinic and they wont be able to help me. Do they have to? If my face is swelling from multiple abcesses don't they HAVE to help me? Dont they HAVE to pull my teeth to save my life?
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misery
unregistered
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posted 11-17-2005 10:26 AM
update:by some miracle the swelling went down overnight, and the pain is gone. Man. I know it will be back, but I'm just thankful for the temporary relief. Thank GOD!
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J
unregistered
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posted 12-06-2005 08:26 AM
If you have tooth ache - use a hot water bottle. ie rest the side of your head (mouth) that is in pain on the hot water bottle (hot but not too hot) - works a treat and really relieves the pain X
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 12-06-2005 07:14 PM
Heat applied to a dental infection or abscess is contraindicated, especially applied on the face. There's no substitute for seeing a dentist for a proper diagnosis.
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Jodi
unregistered
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posted 12-11-2005 04:31 AM
I had a horrible toothache the other night and the only thing that helped ease the excurciating pain was to swish wih cold water. I couldn't sleep at all, no pain killers worked for me and I took two percocettes (not sure of the spelling).. nothing but the cold water helped.. THEN, I discovered that if I wrapped an ice pack in a washcloth and held it against my gum right under the tooth that was bothering me, and kept another ice pack on the outside of my cheek.. IT LET ME SLEEP FOR 7 HOURS without ANY pain! I just had to make sure that I positioned myself and the ice packs perfectly and kept them like that all night (not as hard as it sounds).. this FINALLY allowed me to have a restful night sleep before I got to my dentist in the morning. My Dentist had to start a root canal, the tooth was abcessed. He said that b/c of the swelling from the abcess, the ice calmed that down and shrunk the inflammation allowing me to sleep w/out pain. I hope this helps anyone suffering from this horrible constant pain!!!
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 12-11-2005 10:46 AM
Thank you for a story with a "happy ending."Heat or ice must be used judiciously. A true dental abscess is often relieved by cold. I've had patients present with a glass of ice water, just as you described. A cold compress on the face is often helpful, but NOT always appropruiate. No one should use heat, particularly a heating pad, outside the face without professional advice.
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TJ
unregistered
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posted 12-13-2005 11:48 AM
I have the same thing rightnow..dentist appt in 2 hours...he better to the Root Canal today.. The COLD water is ok..but Hot Salt Water is best...and it even did something to let some of the blood and stuff leak out.. nasty but It got me through the past week... quote:
Originally posted by Julian W. Chen, D.D.S.:
If the pain does not subside within the next 48-72 hours, you may want to consider finding a dentist who is willing to perform the root canal immediately. In my opinion, the primary object is to relieve the patient from pain. There is an existing bacterial infection and although antibiotic helps, it is much more effective to address the source of the problem and open up the tooth to remove the infection, irrigate the canals, and allow for draining and pressure relief.If the hydrocodone is not working, then my recommendation is to take some over-the-counter Moltrin. 800mg as needed (make sure to read the label and not exceed recommended dosages). Some people are unable to metabolize hydrocodone, thus making it rather useless for pain management. Your boyfriend may fall under that particular category.
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MrZoSo
unregistered
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posted 12-14-2005 03:45 AM
I am in screaming pain for 3 days. Yesterday i went to a dentist close to my house.(first time to him) He wants me to take the antibiotics and pain meds and either root canal or pull it next week. Why wait? I never heard of this before. My old dentist would just pull it. I can't afford the route canal. I'm seriously thinking of going to my cruel old dentist (whome i like but he loves to cause pain!) to just let him pull it today. what do you think Doc? I am in serious pain and the pain meds do not help a bit and im afriad im taking to much of them. Is there any reason to wait. A straight answer would be very helpful.
Thank you.
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 12-14-2005 08:13 AM
The "straight answer" is to see another general dentist, an oral surgeon or an endodontist (RCT specialist) for a second opinion. There are few indications to wait for the antibiotic, but equally many risks by not taking immediate action.http://dentistry.com/dentfind.asp
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MrZoSo
unregistered
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posted 12-14-2005 11:48 AM
Ok Doc I will let you know how it turns out. Thank you for the straight answer. I have a gut feeling that this waiting and taking antibiotics is NOT the right thing to do but then again im not a doctor.
Regards
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jonr
unregistered
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posted 12-16-2005 07:19 PM
the opening post on this thread is exactly my experience. one question that troubles me greatly that i have not seen an answer to was this question: *quote* Since he's drinking so much water and in turn urinating a lot, is it possible he's flushing the medicine out of his system? can somebody please answer that question?
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 12-16-2005 08:37 PM
Dear Jonr,I've never heard of the excessive drinking of water diluting the effect of medication. Highly unlikely.
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jonr
unregistered
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posted 12-16-2005 08:46 PM
thanks very much. that's reassuring.
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Nikki
unregistered
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posted 12-18-2005 11:44 PM
ok, here's my issue. i am 17 years old and have an abcess in my #17 tooth i believe the dentist said. I'm thinking about just skipping the root conal and getting it pulled just because of the fact that my Wisdom teeth haven't grown in yet, so if i get it pulled then the wisdom tooth will have room and i won't have an empty space in my mouth. The dentist said i had an abcess because of a calcium build-up on the side of the tooth that has grown into my gums... would it be safe to get this tooth pulled? I have no insurance and have to pay for this work myself and my root conal would cost over 600 dollars and not to mention the cost of drilling the calcium build-up off (70+). i simply cant afford it. my dentist offered a payment plan of 300 with 2 visits TWO WEEKS APART but i can't stand the pain for much longer and i still can't afford to pay what they offered. so my question is, would it be wise for me to just get the tooth removed and let my wisdom tooth take the place of that one eventually? and would it be safe to remove the tooth, considering the calcium build-up is what infected it in the first place?
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Nikki
unregistered
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posted 12-18-2005 11:49 PM
I forgot to metion that the infection is gone now, the abcess drained over night and kept me up all night with pain. and I like many others must have drank 3 gallons of water that night! (i thought i was the only one that knew about that remedy!) but anyway, i took Penecilin VK 4 times daily for 10 days and it took the infection right away. so... pull the tooth, or don't pull the tooth? i mean, there's not much left of the tooth to save anyway and i'm sure it would just be a waste of money to get a root conal. Could you offer me some help please!?
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Nikki
unregistered
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posted 12-22-2005 02:20 PM
Someone help!? please!?
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 12-22-2005 07:45 PM
Nikki,The course of treatment must be decided between you and the dentist. It would seem the dentist provided the information necessary to make the best choice for your situation. No one else can make the determination for you. Whatever you decide, act immediately. Waiting might wosens the condition dramatically. BTW, sacrificing a second molar may sometimes be the most prudent choice.
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Jake
unregistered
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posted 12-23-2005 02:34 PM
I am in this same exact situation right now!! My dentist also says nothing can be done until the bacterial infection has subsided. My abcess cover my entire right side of the top of my mouth. The tooth in conern is a large top molar with a large gold crown. I am on hydrocod, amox/clav, darvocet and aleve. The dentist double the hydrocod and amox, waiting for infection to clear and abcess to go down. Any overing of help? I am in MIAMI, FL area.
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Nikki
unregistered
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posted 12-30-2005 02:55 AM
thank you for your reply. but i have no other choice but to get it pulled. the root conal costs over 600 dollars and i have to pay it myself. with a little over 300 every pay check every two weeks, i can't do it. to get it pulled will only be 100... i know that may be a bad choice but its all i can do...
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Amanda
unregistered
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posted 12-30-2005 12:30 PM
I have a bottom right molar that has a very bad cavity, i need a root canal but currently have no insurance... About a month ago I went to a dentist on an emergency she said it was infected and gave me 500mg Ampicillian after taking it about 72 hours the pain started to discipate and I finished the course of medicine.
For the last month i've been ok. Now i am back in excruicating (not able to sleep) pain. And I can tell an absess is forming. I have a refill on the antibiotic (500mg ampicillian) should i go ahead and refill it?? Will this help the problem.I can't afford to go to the dentist at this time and really don't have any options. ps: the cold water trick really does elevate the pain but it's impossible to constantly drink water... there has to be something else
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MrZoSo
unregistered
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posted 01-03-2006 02:15 PM
OK I waited till today. Took the Anti biotics for a week. I know dumb move. But the pain went away so i waited till after the holidays and got it pulled. Seems everythings fine now. I paid 250 for a molar extraction. A bit steap? I want to get a permenant bridge. Any idea on costs for this? Thanks again Doc.
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KiKi
unregistered
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posted 01-05-2006 10:00 AM
Ok- I'm so happy to find this thread because I have an absessed tooth (diagnosed as of yesterday). Im Canadian and this is my first absessed tooth.
About a month ago I lost a filling. My Dad took me to our dentist who is also a dental surgeon. He did the drilling and said it was close to the nerve, but it may not require a root canal. He put in a temp. filling to wait and see. The night before yesterday it started to hurt. Then yesterday the side of my face was swollen. We went to the dentist immediately and he said that as he suspected, this tooth will now require a root canal.
He prescribed Amoxicillin to take down the infection and Tylenol 3 for pain. It wasn't that painful until my Dentist started pressing all over my gums. SO it hurt last night, but I am able to sleep. That's the thing- the pain is NOT unbearable. When the pain flares up I can handle it (maybe its because I know true pain...passing a kidney stone.) But THIS is my problem. My face is even MORE swollen than yesterday! I look like a chipmunk on my right side! My parents noticed this morning that it's worse. It's to the point that my chhek is blown up and now it's swollen clear to under a my eye a bit.
I read on this thread that the antibiotics will take 24-72 hours to kick in. Will they take this unsightly swelling down? My dentist told me to phone today before 5 if Im not feeling better...and he may put me on a stronger antibiotic (my root canal is scheduled for next week). Can anyone please tell me their experience with the antibiotics and facial swelling? I can't go outside, it's ridiculous! Thanks in advance and take care everyone.
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 01-05-2006 08:23 PM
Antibiotics are not nearly as effective as direct clinical intervention (such as RCT).Please contact the dentist immediately! All conscientious dentists provide after hour emergency care, or a referral for their patients of record.
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Peter
unregistered
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posted 01-06-2006 07:41 AM
My molar has a large filling and it bothered me for a couple of days. At the dentist they tell me that the filling is so close to the nerve that it's probably becoming absessed. I have an appointment for a root canal in a week. However the pain has gone away, and I don't feel any pain at all now. Should I go ahead with the root canal? I would appreciate a reply.
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Jeffrey L. Wissot, DDS
unregistered
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posted 01-06-2006 07:53 PM
There's an old saying, "Don't seek a professional's advice if you plan to ignore it."If you have doubts, see another dentist or endodontist for a second opinion. This requires an x-ray and clinical exam. But don't ignore good advice. Pain (or lack thereof) is not always a good indicator.
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Christine
unregistered
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posted 01-08-2006 01:55 PM
I am a dental assistant and I wanted to tell the person that has the absess that he needs to seek care. If he does not, the infection could go into his eye (and blind him) and also it could kill him. So yes he needs to go see a dentist immediately.
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Maggie
unregistered
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posted 01-10-2006 01:23 PM
I'm no dentist, but an old remedy for dental pain relief (not cure) is clove oil (available from health food shops here in the UK) applied to the affected gum & tooth. I've used this in the past in conjunction with over the counter medication (paracetamol, Asprin etc)& found it to be very effective as first aid, as it seems to have a tempory local anesthetic effect. As I said I live in the UK - thank God for the National Health Service!
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Steveo
unregistered
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posted 01-11-2006 02:30 PM
Do you always have to get a root canal for an abscessed tooth? I have had one for awhile but the dentist said 2 years ago the infection was gone and didnt want to drill if she didnt have to. Its still in the same situation (still have the abscess but only hurts if i push really hard on it). The tooth looks fine, no discoloration, no pain, is it possible to not get a root canal and be fine?
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