Tag Archives: Infected Wisdom Teeth

Emergency Dentist

Should my son see an emergency dentist for his wisdom teeth?

I am concerned that my son needs to visit an emergency dentist. His wisdom teeth have been causing him a great deal of pain for the last several days. They are even preventing him from eating. I encouraged him to make an appointment with an emergency dentist, but he didn’t see the need, stating that it happens sometimes. He did let me take a quick glance. While I couldn’t see the tooth, I did notice the gums are swollen up around the tooth. He is convinced this is completely normal and the tooth just hasn’t pushed all the way through yet. Is this something you see often? Or, should I continue to encourage him to see an emergency dentist?

Thank you,
Kristi

Dear Kristi,
Everyone is different. Some people have wisdom teeth break through later in life, while others never get them, or need them to be extracted. The most important piece to this is how the wisdom teeth come in and the amount of space around them. These teeth can cause problems because there is little room for them. They force other teeth out of the way and move everything. It is difficult to clean these teeth, not only because of the cramped space, but because the gums are still covering some of the wisdom teeth. Infections and tooth decay can occur when the gums lift up enough for food and bacteria to enter and become trapped.

Wisdom teeth can also cause pain in other, more typical, ways. Sometimes, when they push the surrounding teeth out of the way, that can cause those teeth to hurt, though sometimes the pain is just in one area. Yet other times, the pain stays in one area. They can also cause sinus, jaw, and ear pain. A general dentist would probably suggest the teeth be taken out. However, because you are noticing swollen gums, it could be a symptom of an infection. In addition, if the pain is so intense that it is preventing eating, there is certainly a problem. Both of these symptoms yield a reason to see an emergency dentist if he doesn’t have a general dentist who can see him very soon. If there is, in fact, an infection, it is crucial he be seen today.

This article is sponsored by Phoenix emergency dentist, Dr. Hillary Peck.

Affordable Dentist

Can’t Afford Dentist With Infected Wisdom Teeth

What do you do if you have infected wisdom teeth but can’t afford a dentist? I’m in agony. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep.

Vera

Dear Vera,

Woman grabbing her jaw in pain
Don’t Ignore an Infected Tooth Because of Money

I know you’re in a great deal of pain so what I’m saying is in the deepest compassion. You cannot afford NOT to deal with this. This infection will spread. Your heart and your brain are very close to your jaw. If the infection spreads to either, it’s life-threatening and can happen so quickly the medical community may not have time to help.

There are ways to deal with this when you’re broke.

There are affordable dentists and even oral surgeons who will do the work you need and let you pay them out as you’re able. They know how serious this is and will work with you rather than allow you to put your life at risk.

If, for some reason, you can’t find a compassionate dentist in your area. There’s something called Care Credit. It’s a medical credit card which has low and even no-interest payment plans.

Call your doctor and get on some antibiotics. It WILL NOT take care of the infected wisdom teeth. Those need to be extracted. But, it will buy you a little bit of time while you find the care you need. He may even be willing to provide a stronger pain reliever than you can get over-the-counter.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.