I went to the dentist because I suspected I had a tooth infection. It turned out I was right. What worries me is the dentist doesn’t seem that worried about it. He scheduled me to come back in several weeks. While he did prescribe an antibiotic, he told me not to start taking it until the week before the procedure. I’ve been told that a tooth infection can spread to your brain. Should I be worried about that in this case? It seems like a long time to wait.
Percy
Dear Percy,
You are correct that a tooth infection could grow and spread to the brain. It can also spread down the lower jaw and interfere with breathing or reach your heart. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean your dentist is putting your life in danger.
There are some tooth infections which are so small, they don’t pose a threat to you at the moment. If it were to start spreading, you’d feel increased pain and the area would swell. At that point, it would be considered a dental emergency. The smart thing to do then would be to call your dentist tell him what is going on. You would start taking the antibiotic right away at that point.
Bear in mind, an antibiotic isn’t enough when it comes to a dental infection. The dentist has to physically remove the infected pulp. This is done with a root canal treatment. Then, your dentist will protect the tooth with a dental crown.
A dental crown can be made to match any tooth color. If you’re happy with the current color of your teeth, do nothing. If, however, you’d rather have a whiter smile, the time to whiten your teeth would be before getting your porcelain crown. Once the crown is made, the color is permanent and will not whiten after it is bonded.
This blog is brought to you by Auburn, AL Family Dentist, Dr. Raymond Bolt.