I don’t know what to do. I am sure I have a tooth infection. My cheek is so swollen and there is a pimple on my gum. My problem is I have no dental insurance and no money. I was laid off six months ago, my savings has run out, and I have no job prospects. I do have some leftover antibiotics in my house, from a time they decided to switch me to a different antibiotic. Would that work?
Livvie
Dear Livvie,
I’m very sorry for what you are going through. I am going to discourage you from using these antibiotics. Once a tooth infection has reached a certain point (and yours has) because of the anatomical structure of teeth, the antibiotic won’t even get to your tooth. Instead, the infection will continue to spread.
This is super dangerous for you because of how close your jaw is to your brain. This infection can cause a brain infection, a heart infection, or even spread to your throat and swell up so much that you can breathe or swallow.
This is a dental emergency. It does need to be dealt with. Ideally, you’d be able to get a root canal treatment and a dental crown to be able to save your tooth. If that is not possible, you’ll end up with a tooth extraction, which also requires you to find a tooth replacement.
Now that I’ve completely depressed you, I also want to give you a solution. First, you should know that most dentists went into their field because they care about people. Many will be willing to help you and let you pay it out. Some of them have in-office payment plans. However, most work through Care Credit. This is a medical credit card which has low and no-interest plans.
If You Lose Your Tooth
If the worst case scenario happens and the tooth can’t be saved there are good options these days. The ideal tooth replacement is to get a dental implant. In your current circumstances, that is impractical for you. Instead, you could look at a dental bridge.
Sometimes even that isn’t affordable. In that case, I suggest you get a removable partial denture and save up for the better replacements in the future when you have found your new job.
This blog is brought to you by Auburn Family Dentist Dr. Raymond Bolt.