Hello there,

I am in a bit of a predicament. My job does not provide and medical or dental insurance. However, I’ve been battling with what I think is a tooth infection. My face is swollen and puffy, and it aches all the time. My job doesn’t pay a lot, so I don’t have the money to treat this. What can I do?

Christopher, from Kansas City, Kansas

 

Hello Christopher,

It does sound like you have a tooth infection. Your infection may start to drain, which would release some of the swelling you feel, but it probably will not do that without any intervention.

Many communities have low-cost or mobile dental clinics, or allow you to pay on a sliding scale. You can start calling offices to see who is willing to work with you. Universities often have low-cost clinics. However, if your pain becomes worse, you should go to see an emergency dentist. Oral infections, if left untreated, can spread to other parts of your body. If it spreads to your brain, it can become very serious.

While you are looking for a clinic, do not try to treat the infection with antibiotics on your own. Antibiotics cannot treat infections present inside of teeth, only the swelling. You will likely need a root canal or an extraction to fully rid your mouth of the infection. If you take an antibiotic without any sort of treatment plan, the infection may come back, and when it does, it will be resistant to antibiotics. This will make curing the infection even more difficult.

This blog post is brought to you by Baton Rouge emergency dentist, Dr. Ryan P. Perry.