I have a tooth infection but really hate going to the dentist. I am certain my doctor would call me in a prescription. Is there a specific type of antibiotic that works with dental infections or will just a normal z-pack do it?
Benjamin
Dear Benjamin,
I am sorry to hear about your tooth infection. Those are painful. While there is an antibiotic that is more effective with dental treatment, you need to be aware that it will not “cure” the tooth infection. It will only hold it off for a short time. After the antibiotic runs its course the infection returns full blast. Not only that, it will continue to spread. Your heart, lungs, and brain are very close to your jaw. If it spreads to any of those, it will become life threatening. This is why tooth infections are considered dental emergencies. The only real way to solve a tooth infection is to either have a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction.
The root canal treatment is prefered because it means your tooth can be saved. It is always better to have your natural tooth structure. When teeth are removed, your body recognizes you do not have roots of your teeth there. When that happens, your body, being an efficient machine, will begin to resorb the minerals in your jawbone in order to use them elsewhere in your body where they perceive those minerals will be more useful. While a great use of resources, it has an unfortunate side effect of shrinking your jawbone in that area.
When you have to extract a tooth you really want to replace it for two reasons. the first is that your other teeth will shift and drift into that spot. This throws off your bite and could land you with painful TMJ Disorder. A second issue is that lost bone I mentioned above. To prevent that the best tooth replacement is a dental implant. This is because it has a prosthetic root that will signal to your body, “Hey! There’s a tooth here! Leave the bone alone.”
Your first priority is to see a dentist and get that infection dealt with. The faster you see a dentist the better the chance of saving your tooth and the less chance you will need to add the expense of replacing it.
This blog is brought to you by Enfield Dentist Dr. Cumminsky.
