I had a tooth which had a partial filling. It hurt ever since and I’d been living on over-the-counter painkillers. I finally went in again and he said that there is an infection under the filling and he feels I need to extract the tooth. I feel like there should be another option. Couldn’t we just fill it more? Maybe he didn’t fill it enough the first time.
Kaitlin
Dear Kaitlin,
There certainly are other options and your dentist is ethically obligated to tell them to you. Is it possible that you are on some kind of government insurance? If so, they don’t give you options and it will always be the cheapest option, not what is best for the patient. Either way, your dentist should have told you every option you have.
Ideally, the first thing you would try with a tooth infection is a root canal treatment. This will remove the infection while still allowing you to save your tooth. It is always better to save as much natural tooth structure as possible. Sometimes, an infection has gone so far there is not an option to save a tooth. In that case, an extraction would be the only option. But, I recommend getting a second opinion. Look for a dentist who treats “dental emergencies“. They’ll be willing to get you in sooner. If they say you need your tooth extracted then go ahead and extract it.
One word of advice when it comes to getting a second opinion. Don’t tell the new dentist who your dentist is or what diagnosis he gave you. If he asks tell him you just want his unbiased opinion without any information to taint his diagnosis. The dental community is a small world and you don’t want him trying to save his friend’s reputation.
If it turns out the tooth has to be extracted, you will want to replace it. My suggestion is a dental implant. It is the top of the line tooth replacement. However, it is costly. If that is an issue but that is still the treatment you want, you can get an inexpensive dental flipper as a temporary replacement, until you can save up for the better solution. If you don’t want an implant, a dental bridge is a perfectly acceptable replacement, but will require the two adjacent teeth to have dental crowns placed.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.