First off, I don’t have any insurance, and I’ve been unemployed for more than a year so money is pretty tight. I am hoping you’ll have some home remedies for me so I don’t have to go see a dentist.
I am missing three teeth on the right side of my mouth, all in the lower jaw. I have one tooth still there, but it splintered last week. None of the pieces came out, but now there is so much swelling back there I wish they would! Maybe it would relieve some of the pressure. It looks like I have a golf ball tucked into my cheek. It is really embarrassing! I don’t even want to leave the house until it looks better.
What can I do? I just don’t have any money for this. Can I just rinse with salt water, or put some kind of poultice on it?
Thanks for your help,
Riley in Champagne, IL
Dear Riley,
You probably won’t like this answer, but you really do have to see a dentist, and as soon as possible. As a word of caution, please do NOT take antibiotics without having the tooth treated. The infection is located inside what remains of your tooth, and antibiotics alone will not address the source of the infection. If you take antibiotics, you will only make the bacteria that survive stronger and more resistant to treatment.
If the tooth were intact, a root canal treatment would probably be the best treatment, but at this point you may just need to have the shards of tooth extracted. Down the road, you may want to consider a dental implant or mini-dental implant to help maintain the jawbone on that side of your mouth.
Right now, though, you need to find someone to help with that tooth. Check with social service agencies to see if they know of a clinic or program in your area that helps people with financial difficulties get emergency dental treatment. If there is no organized program, ask if they have the names of area dentists that are sympathetic to people in need.
Make no mistake - this is a dental emergency. You must get this taken care of right away. Tooth infections can travel to your sinuses or even to your brain. This is not something that will just go away if you wait, either. Get treatment.
This blog is supported by the dental office of York PA cosmetic dentist Dr. Currie.
Tags: broken tooth, dental infection, emergency dentist, free dental care for emergency, tooth infection, York PA cosmetic dentist