Baton Rouge Dentist

Can a tooth infection actually be dangerous?

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I am kind of freaked out about a problem I have with my teeth. One of my molars split in half about 10 days ago. It is the very last molar, right beside where my wisdom teeth used to be. Right after the tooth broke I started having some really weird pains, and they are getting worse. I have pain in my cheek and jaw area, which is not surprising. But then I started having pain in my sinuses and nose, and then in my temple, too. This morning, my neck was really tender when I woke up. That pain starts right next to my ear in the back and radiates all the way around to the front of my neck.

Can ALL of that be from one broken tooth, or is something else going on? Maybe could this be a sinus infection. I have been taking antibiotics that I got from a friend. I know you’re not supposed to do that, but I don’t have any money at all and I have been trying to make this better without going to a doctor or dentist.

Can you help? One of my friends just told me that infections in your mouth can be dangerous. The way the pain is spreading is freaking me out.

Elise in Salt Lake City

Dear Elise,

Your friend is right. Infections in your teeth and mouth can be very dangerous. They can spread to your brain and cause infections there, or endanger your throat and airway. This is not something you should fool around with and taking antibiotics without getting the tooth treated is only making the remaining bacteria resistant to treatment.

You will have to have a root canal treatment, or if the tooth is too damaged to save, an extraction. When your finances turn around, you could consider having a dental implant to replace it, but in the mean time you must address the source of the infection. One way or the other, this must be treated. It will not go away on its own.

Call the local dental society and see if they have a program or clinic where you can get this taken care of for free or a really reduced rate. If that doesn’t yield results, start calling area dentists until you find one that can help you.

This is serious. You need to get it fixed right away.

This blog produced courtesy of the office of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.

Injured top and bottom front teeth

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Three weeks ago I took a bad fall, and now all of my front teeth – top and bottom – are turning black. Something feels like it is broken or jammed up near my nose. Could it be a broken root?

What I am wondering is whether or not I should see a dentist or a doctor? What will they do about this kind of injury, and is this going to be really expensive? I have good medical insurance, but no dental coverage. If my teeth are dead, will they have to be pulled and replaced with dental implants? Is it possible just to cover up the dead teeth with porcelain veneers?

Thanks for your help with this.

Randy in Lake Odessa

Dear Randy,

Your teeth will need root canal treatments. When a tooth turns black after an injury, it means that the nerve tissue inside the tooth has died. Possibly you have cracked the roots of your teeth. If that is the case, the teeth are not salvageable and must be removed and replaced with dental implants.

The darkened teeth will probably need porcelain crowns after treatment. There is a method of bleaching darkened teeth from the inside, but many dentists do not know how to do that procedure.

Were your teeth displaced in the accident? You don’t mention that they were, so for the purposes of this post, we’ll assume that they are all in the correct places. The “broken root” up near your nose is concerning, especially since something like that should have been addressed as soon as possible after your accident.

All of this treatment should be done by a highly skilled cosmetic dentist, which may not be the answer you were hoping for in terms of insurance coverage. As to how much the entire treatment will cost, it depends on whether or not the teeth can be saved. Root canals are a few hundred dollars each, and porcelain crowns are usually around two thousand, depending on what part of the country you are in. Dental implants are more than that.

I am afraid this will indeed be quite expensive, but our last bit of advice is to find a very talented cosmetic dentist to help you. Do not price shop for this kind of treatment. Best of luck.

This blog posted courtesy of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.