Up at 3:30 am with a tooth ache!

[Booger74]

Tooth pain is almost as bad as Kidney Stones.

[Daddy Rabbit]

I had that before. I used whiskey sloshed it around and it numbed it up good. Worked for me.

[Geezy Rider]

Got a cracked tooth that I'm dealing with right now. Get a temporary crown on Monday but untill then I'm suffering and not getting any sleep.

[312InchMagnum]

this is crazy...im a dentist...giving someone antibiotics for a week before you pull out an abcessed tooth is ridiculous...thats old school thinking...we have anesthetics now that can get the tooth numb enough to extract...there are also injection techniques to get the tooth numb...however, it is true that it is much more difficult to numb an abcessed tooth because anesthetics are typically made to work at normal tissue pH levels...abcesses are much more acidic...but, the little bit of pain you will feel during the extraction is much better than the week of suffering and many hours of lost sleep...i never make a patient wait a week before i take a tooth out...

a retreated root canal does not take 2 years to heal...maybe that long for all the bone to fill back in what the bacteria and toxins destroyed...if you have an abcess, and the dentist gives you antibiotics to "get rid of the infection" he is just masking the problem...it WILL be back, and usually much worse...sounds like you probably have a cracked tooth and it will never heal...extract and implant is the way to go...i very very very rarely re-treat a root canal...as a matter of fact, if the tooth is massively decayed, i dont even do a root canal...i take it out and place an implant...a tad bit more expensive, but will be there until your in the grave...

allround...i wouldnt mess around with a cracked tooth...take it out and get an implant...chances are, you will be dealing with the tooth again in the future...

[Cuz]

Well it's front top so I hate to have a big ol hole there. But either way, both he and my last dentist, (I just dropped) say they won't pull an abcessed/infected Tooth. Neither gave me a pull and implant a sigle tooth option.

[312InchMagnum]

Implant is a process. The fixture (titanium artificial root basically) is placed first and heals for 3 to 4 months before the crown is placed. Meanwhile you wear a "flipper" or clear retainer with a fake tooth in it. Regardless tooth can be pulled immediately!

[312InchMagnum]

By the way. If they don't give you an option to replace it with an implant, find another dentist! Trust me brother its the best most successful long term treatment.

[JStrickland]

32inchmag I should have called you my dentist was a great guy but from what you are saying sucked at numbing a tooth he kept injecting and injecting mess with my tooth ask if I could feel it and then inject some more never got it numb then just sprayed the tooth with what ever he was injecting and then said here goes and pulled I felt every bit of it felt the root give way but after that instant relief.

[dragonsdaddy]

this is crazy...im a dentist...giving someone antibiotics for a week before you pull out an abcessed tooth is ridiculous...thats old school thinking...we have anesthetics now that can get the tooth numb enough to extract...there are also injection techniques to get the tooth numb...however, it is true that it is much more difficult to numb an abcessed tooth because anesthetics are typically made to work at normal tissue pH levels...abcesses are much more acidic...but, the little bit of pain you will feel during the extraction is much better than the week of suffering and many hours of lost sleep...i never make a patient wait a week before i take a tooth out...

a retreated root canal does not take 2 years to heal...maybe that long for all the bone to fill back in what the bacteria and toxins destroyed...if you have an abcess, and the dentist gives you antibiotics to "get rid of the infection" he is just masking the problem...it WILL be back, and usually much worse...sounds like you probably have a cracked tooth and it will never heal...extract and implant is the way to go...i very very very rarely re-treat a root canal...as a matter of fact, if the tooth is massively decayed, i dont even do a root canal...i take it out and place an implant...a tad bit more expensive, but will be there until your in the grave...

allround...i wouldnt mess around with a cracked tooth...take it out and get an implant...chances are, you will be dealing with the tooth again in the future...

i agree with this assessment. i recently had to have a cracked premolar extracted after several rounds of antibiotics and botched diagnosis by one goofy dentist-myself. the only semi-valid reason for antibiotics would be mandibular molars. get another opinion. temporary partials can fill the gap while the gums heal. your health is being damaged significantly having to fight this unnecessary infection.

[312InchMagnum]

Jstrick...I won't lie it can be very difficult to get an abcessed tooth numb, but can be done for the most part...I won't say you wont feel ANYTHING at all but should be atleast tolerable...mostly very intense pressure...

The whole idea with antibiotics to get rid of the abcess before you pull it is a falacy...your body is fighting out this infection by "walking it off" from the rest of the body in turn an abcess is formed...antibiotics work by getting into the bloodstream...the bloodflow to an abcess is greatly reduced hence antibiotics don't really work on an abcess...I do believe they can temporarily help the abcess from spreading somewhat but that's it...you must remove the source of infection first(the tooth)...anyhow that's my humble opinion...hope it helps

[Cuz]

So you're saying go find someone that'll pull it, get a temp tooth for few months then get a rod/implant put in then a fake on that rod? Are there ANY reasons my dentist wouldn't be able to do this in your opinion? Surrounding teeth, how big/bad the abcsess is, etc?

[drjudd]

What antibiotic are you on? It generally takes three days for them to really knock down the infection. And antibiotics will get rid of an abcess.. You have to remove the source of the infection which is usually the decomposing nerve in the tooth (root canal). If the tooth is to badly decayed, extracting may be the only option. Please don't just say take it out. Other teeth shift and other problems arise. At the same time, don't blow alot of money trying to save a badly broken down tooth with a poor long term prognosis. I would be happy to talk if you want.

[312InchMagnum]

So you're saying go find someone that'll pull it, get a temp tooth for few months then get a rod/implant put in then a fake on that rod? Are there ANY reasons my dentist wouldn't be able to do this in your opinion? Surrounding teeth, how big/bad the abcsess is, etc?

its hard to tell you anything absolute without seeing the tooth, xrays, etc...all im saying is when you get ready to replace the missing tooth, implants are the standard of care nowadays...of course there are lots of variables with this also...i personally think if an implant is not mentioned in the future treatment options, you are being misinformed...thats all

[drjudd]

I agree with an implant being the standard. Ask your dentist questions. If you think you aren't getting all the information you need, get a second opinion.

[Brian H]

I just went thru that myself. Worst pain I've ever had. It was worse than kidney stones, dislocated shoulder and everything else I hurt when I used to rodeo every weekend