Do I have an infected tooth or allergies?

A few weeks ago, the tooth just behind my right canine broke in half while I was eating. My allergies have also been really bad lately. I’m having a lot of pain and swelling in my face, and I’m wondering if it’s because of the tooth or my allergies. I’m scared to see a dentist and worried about how much it might cost.

Most of the pain is in my jaw and cheeks and up into my sinuses and nose area. Today when I woke up, the pain was worse and had spread up to my temple on the right side. My neck is a bit swollen too, and it hurts where the swelling is.

I’ve been taking some antibiotics to try to keep it under control, but a friend of mine told me today it isn’t safe to do that. I don’t know what to do. Can you help?

Jason in Mesa

Jason,

Despite your understandable dental anxiety, I would like you to go to a dentist right away to get this tooth looked at. What you’re describing are symptoms of a serious tooth infection. It is dangerous to ignore it.

Taking antibiotics as you have been won’t help this infection. Bacteria are being produced within the tooth. From there, they move to the blood and nearby tissues. Though the antibiotics are fighting some of the bacteria, they can’t reach the source, deep within the broken tooth. The only way to remove that deep infection is via a root canal or extraction.

The concerns you’ve mentioned, fear of the dentist and cost, are the two most common reasons that people put off dental care. You need a sympathetic emergency dentist to see you quickly, get you out of pain, and alleviate your anxiety too.

If for some reason you don’t go to a dentist, please go to a hospital emergency room. There, doctors will be able to treat your infection and pain until a plan for the tooth is made. Untreated dental infections can spread through the body, even to the brain. Rarely, they can be fatal. Don’t wait.

This blog brought to you by Mountain View Family Dental, a cater-to-cowards dentist in Mesa.