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If you have a tooth infection, there is no question of it going away on its own. Left to proceed, it will spread and could have very serious health consequences, not only for your oral health, but wider well-being. The worst cases can progress to life-threatening sepsis.
In the meantime, the severe pain and swelling you ensure will be enough reason for you not to even try to ignore the situation. But, unless you can get a dental appointment quickly, a very difficult task in many cases, the only sensible step is to obtain some dental antibiotics as soon as possible.
Whether you take amoxicillin, which is the best for most people, or Metronidazole if amoxicillin causes you a problem (as would be the case if you have a penicillin allergy), this will have the benefit of holding back the infection, with these medications having various effects to halt the spread and kill bacteria.
Why Will Antibiotics Alone Never Be Enough?
However, while these antibiotics will perform a vital function in preventing the bacteria from doing their worst, you cannot go on taking them forever. Apart from the dangers of emerging antibiotic resistance, you will still be quite sore and you may suffer some mild side effects that build up over time, such as tummy trouble.
Therefore, what you need is, whenever you can get it, dental work to carry out a major procedure to get, quite literally in some cases, to the root of the problem.
A key question you may ask is whether the best way to deal with an infected tooth is root canal surgery or an extraction.
You will no doubt be advised by a dentist which the best option is, but it is useful to be well informed so that you can play a role in decision-making. For example, if an extraction is advised, you may not be keen on the idea of losing a whole tooth and would want to be sure that it is the best option.
What Is The Difference Between An Extraction And Root Canal Work?
The essential difference is as follows:
· Root canal surgery involves removing the infected pulp inside a tooth by making a small opening and extracting it. This eliminates the source of the infection.
· An extraction involves taking out the entire tooth
The latter may sound like a more drastic method, although it can be a lot quicker and simpler. However, the reason one of these options may be better than the other depends on a range of factors:
· A dental abscess or nerve damage would provide strong reasons for root canal surgery
· A badly-fitting crown may require root canal surgery, followed by a re-fitting
· Severe damage to the tooth itself would provide a better reason for an extraction
· An extraction may be needed if an infection originating in the root has spread further
· A tooth extraction may be the best option if the tooth is misaligned
· An impacted wisdom tooth is a prime reason for an extraction
These factors can all influence the decision made. In many cases, it is quite clear-cut. For instance, an impacted wisdom tooth is a prime case for extraction, whereas if a tooth is otherwise in good shape, root canal surgery that leaves it in place is clearly the right option.
What If You Are Scared Of The Dentist?
The experience of each form of dental surgery is something some patients will give a lot of thought to. Some of this will be due to dentophobia (a fear of dentists), which is very common. A 2018 survey found that 53 per cent of Britons were anxious or afraid of visiting the dentist.
Sometimes this is linked to a fear of blood, of needles (trypanophobia) or just past uncomfortable experiences in the dentist’s chair, but whatever the cause, that should not be a factor in deciding the best course of action.
Indeed, it is likely you may need a dental injection to numb the area before either kind of surgery. Among the steps that may help you is to keep your eyes closed and ask the dentist to make sure you don’t see the needle.
An extraction will be relatively quick, in around half an hour, although a multiple extraction may take longer, such as if all your wisdom teeth have to come out together. The latter can sometimes require a hospital operation under a general anaesthetic.
Root canal surgery tends to take longer and can last up to 90 minutes, depending on the complexity of the work involved.
In either case, you may need dental antibiotics afterwards for a time, and you will certainly need some aftercare. However, when the work is done, you will be very glad in due course as the pain and suffering of your infection becomes a thing of the past.
