Antibiotics not curing tooth infection

[patient]

I have a tooth infection. My mouth was swollen but the swelling doesn't seem as bad anymore so that is good. However, I still have an infection because it still hurts and I have two days left of the antibiotics. I am on amoxicillin. Should they have killed the infection by now? I have another appointment with the dentist on Tuesday and if the infection is not gone by then, perhaps he needs to give me something stronger? I thought since the swelling has gone down considerably then the amoxicillin was working. Maybe it will by the time the antibiotics are finished?? If I take painkillers as well, it's easy to forget I have an infection because there is no pain at all. I am trying hard not to take painkillers and can go most of the day and the pain is not too bad but need to take one at night before I go to sleep as the pain seems to increase late at night which is strange.

 

[patient]

I came back here after a long time away and posted something. Nobody responded. I have another post and question and I hope this time one or two people reply. I feel nobody wants to help.

I have tooth infection. Mouth was swollen but swelling doesn't seem as bad anymore so that is good. However, I still have infection because it still hurts and I have two days left of the antibiotics. I am on amoxicillin. Should they have killed the infection by now? I have another appointment with dentist on Tuesday and if infection not gone by then, perhaps he needs to give me something stronger? I thought since the swelling has gone down considerably then the amoxicillin was working. Maybe it will by the time the antibiotics are finished?? If I take painkillers as well, its easy to forget I have infection because there is no pain at all. I am trying hard not to take painkillers and can go most of the day and pain is not too bad but need to take one at night before I go to sleep as pain seems to increase late at night which is strange.

13 views and not one reply. So much for this being a place for help. I don't think I wish to post ever again on here. Could the admin please delete my profile... thanks very much.

 

[Dental student]

I came back here after a long time away and posted something. Nobody responded. I have another post and question and I hope this time one or two people reply. I feel nobody wants to help.

I have tooth infection. Mouth was swollen but swelling doesn't seem as bad anymore so that is good. However, I still have infection because it still hurts and I have two days left of the antibiotics. I am on amoxicillin. Should they have killed the infection by now? I have another appointment with dentist on Tuesday and if infection not gone by then, perhaps he needs to give me something stronger? I thought since the swelling has gone down considerably then the amoxicillin was working. Maybe it will by the time the antibiotics are finished?? If I take painkillers as well, its easy to forget I have infection because there is no pain at all. I am trying hard not to take painkillers and can go most of the day and pain is not too bad but need to take one at night before I go to sleep as pain seems to increase late at night which is strange.

First of all, what tooth is it? Is it a partially erupted wisdom tooth (impacted/halfway out) or a fully erupted tooth? Antibiotics are only helpful for systemic involvement like facial swelling. However, they will not solve the underlying problem.

If it's a wisdom tooth that is partially erupted, then your problem lies in food/bacteria entrapment under the gum covering the tooth. The technical term for this is pericoronitis and it's very common. The course of treatment would be cleaning it out for short-term management. Long-term relief depends on multiple factors. Extraction may be warranted.

However, if it's an abscess or if your tooth is beginning to undergo necrosis, the only answer is root canal therapy. If the decay is deep, then it may involve the nerve of your tooth. Common symptoms include spontaneous or constant pain. The pain usually lingers for more than 15 sec AFTER drinking cold liquid/food.

The inflammation can spread to the root of your tooth. If the root of your tooth is involved, you will most likely feel pain when chewing. You can have an abscess that forms along with facial swelling. However, once a lesion forms at your root tip, antibiotics (regardless of potency or if it's narrow spectrum) will not absolve the issue. You will only feel relief from swelling.

To summarize, you need to provide more information or just see a dentist. The dentist may have put you on antibiotics to reduce the swelling and inflammation around your jaw but not to treat the tooth/underlying cause itself. This is because local anesthesia for extraction/root canal therapy will not be effective with severe swelling. This must be addressed first to be able to treat the cause.

 

[drhirst]

Hi patient, hope you are still around!

The problem is that most dental infections are not cured with antibiotics, but merely temporarily suppressed. It is not uncommon for a dose of antibiotics to reduce the problem, but still be left with some symptoms.

For a cure, you will need to see a dentist, so that they can find and eliminate the cause of the problem.

Like the other posters, I would suggest you take the painkillers, why suffer when you don't need to.

The antibiotics will buy you enough time to find a gentle and understanding dentist who will be able to resolve the problem for you.

Good luck

Lincoln

 

[patient]

Thanks for responses.

My issue started with a deep cavity on a broken old filling. The cavity was close to the nerve. Dentist drilled and filled it and said I would probably have some sensitivity to hot an cold foods for a couple of weeks. I did have sensitivity but it was very severe. It was also sensitive to environment temperatures. it was so severe that I had to go back to the dentist. He said I needed root canal treatment. At that point I had no swelling. He started the root canal and said there were signs of an infection so he gave me antibiotics. The following morning I woke up with a swollen jaw. I contacted dentist who promptly said the swelling was due to infection and the antibiotics should bring the swelling down. I should like to point out that I have had an infection in the past with no swelling so as you can imagine, I was a little concerned. Dentist assured me it was normal to have swelling, so I just took his word for it and started taking the medication. Gradually the swelling went down and now it is almost gone. I finis the medication tomorrow. The horrible pain has gone, and has been replaced with a sore swelling and a slightly throbbing tooth which is not nice, but far better than what I did have. As each day goes by, the swelling is less and less and not as sore and that is why I said I am not really taking painkillers regularly. Why put medication in your body unless you really have to. I can go a whole day with not very much discomfort at all and only take two painkillers at night before I go to sleep. Tuesday I go back to the dentist for a check on the tooth and he will do the second stage of the root canal.

I am anxious to hear what he has to say about it. Obviously he will ask me how I am feeling etc and I will simply tell him more or less what I have said here, and see what he says. He will no doubt xray it again to see if there is any infection still in the tooth. I hope not as it doesn't hurt. However, having said that I once had a tooth infection and had no pain in it at all but the xray showed up that the root was damaged and there was no way the tooth could be saved so I had to have it extracted.

 

[lightspirit]

Hi again, I hope you're happy people took you seriously and responded, don't give up on this site, it is really good and there is a lot of support here, maybe you could help others with their issues also?
Did you finish the root treatment? How many times did you go? I ask this because although some dentists these days can do it in one treatment, others use the older method where you have up to four appointments to clean out the nerve. Have you finished your root treatment or is it still ongoing? I am glad you are feeling a bit better and I hope you heard what we said about not suffering needlessly, nothing wrong with taking pain relief when you need it. I could not live without daily pain meds.

Good luck at the dentists, if you're not satisfied with the outcome of the visit, maybe get another opinion somewhere else.
Cheers!

 

[patient]

Hi again, said I would reply again and I hope your happy people took you seriously and responded, don't give up on this site, it is really good and there is a lot of support here, maybe you could help others with their issues also?
Did you finish the root treatment? How many times did you go? I ask this because although some dentists these days can do it in one treatment, others use the older method where you have up to four appointments to clean out the nerve. Have you finished your root treatment or is it still ongoing? I am glad you are feeling a bit better and I hope you heard what we said about not suffering needlessly, nothing wrong with taking pain relief when you need it. I could not live without daily pain meds.

Good luck at the dentists, if your not satisfied with the outcome of the visit, maybe get another opinion somewhere else.
Cheers!

My post stated that I go back on Tuesday (tomorrow) for check on tooth and remainder of root canal so no I have not had it done. My dentist will do it in various staged as did my previous dentist. I have NEVER heard of a dentist doing the full job in one visit.. If that's the case they should be struck off

 

[gentledental]

My post stated that I go back on Tuesday (tomorrow) for check on tooth and remainder of root canal so no I have not had it done. My dentist will do it in various staged as did my previous dentist. I have NEVER heard of a dentist doing the full job in one visit.. If that's the case they should be struck off

Seems a bit excessive to strike off a dentist for that! A root canal can be performed in one single visit or in multiple visits depending on how infected it is and how difficult it is. A complex job such as root canal treatment should not be rushed otherwise chances of failure is much higher.

 

[drhirst]

My post stated that I go back on Tuesday (tomorrow) for check on tooth and remainder of root canal so no I have not had it done. My dentist will do it in various staged as did my previous dentist. I have NEVER heard of a dentist doing the full job in one visit.. If that's the case they should be struck off

There are plenty of situations when it is acceptable to do all the treatment in one visit. Indeed, sometimes where the nerve is still alive it may give a better outcome if it is completed in one visit.

 

[Angeldove]

Have you tried taking over the counter pain medications, like Advil, to reduce the swelling? I find - like what I'm going through now- if I'm diligent to take the meds, my healing goes much faster and with less issues than if I try to go along with no pain meds. I had a root canal on Thursday and I'm dealing with pain and swelling - it's slowly getting better and I noticed it helps when I keep taking Advil to relieve the pain/swelling. (No antibiotics for me though)

 

[patient]

Have you tried taking over the counter pain medications, like Advil, to reduce the swelling? I find - like what I'm going through now- if I'm diligent to take the meds, my healing goes much faster and with less issues than if I try to go along with no pain meds. I had a root canal on Thursday and I'm dealing with pain and swelling - it's slowly getting better and I noticed it helps when I keep taking Advil to relieve the pain/swelling. (No antibiotics for me though)

I don't think you have read my post properly because I said the swelling has gone down. I am in the UK so we do not have Advil here. Because I was concerned, my dentist offered me his personal phone number and said if I was worried I could call him. I refused because I do not think it is professional for a dentist to be offering a patient advice on the phone out of office hours. I was kind of embarrassed about it. He also commented on something I was wearing at my last appointment (red jeans). I also do not think it is professional for a dentist to comment on what the patient is wearing. It is too familiar and again, I was embarrassed.

 

[self pity]

I don't think you have read my post properly because I said the swelling has gone down. I am in the UK so we do not have Advil here. Because I was concerned, my dentist offered me his personal phone number and said if I was worried I could call him. I refused because I do not think it is professional for a dentist to be offering a patient advice on the phone out of office hours. I was kind of embarrassed about it. He also commented on something I was wearing at my last appointment (red jeans). I also do not think it is professional for a dentist to comment on what the patient is wearing. It is too familiar and again, I was embarrassed.

I'm going to address the calling him if there is a problem or question and the clothing part of your post. I have all my doctors cell numbers. I have never had to use them but gave me great comfort to know I could reach them should a problem or concern arise after office hours. I suffer from anxiety and just knowing I wouldn't have to wait 12 hours or longer to speak with him gave me peace of mind.

I am a shoe junkie. EVERYTIME and I mean EVERY time I go to any type of doctor, it's all about the shoes!!! They have never seen the same pair twice! It's fun and calms me down. Personally? I love red jeans and probably would have commented on them too!!! Lighten up a bit. It's possible he was trying to make you more comfortable especially if you seemed very tense!!

 

[patient]

Finished the antibiotics but thought I still had a bit of infection left as it still throbs but not as bad. Dentist did some more cleaning of tooth for root canal and when I asked if tooth was still infected, he said yes slightly and he said whatever infection is left will drain out of the tooth. He did not give me more antibiotics. I thought if I still had a bit of an infection left, surely I need antibiotics and if the tooth is draining, where is the pus draining to? I do not have a bitter taste in my mouth. Surely the pus has to go somewhere. It cannot evaporate into the air. In the past when I have had an infection, the dentist has drained the tooth, plugged it with cotton wool and the pus drains out of the tooth into the cotton wool. I did ask my dentist if he could drain it and he said no.

I am confused and at a loss to know what he I doing and why, because his methods of treating this infection is not the way I have ever had an infection treated before. The last time I had an infection it was drained immediately and the dentist got all the pus out via draining. This time, it is still throbbing a week later and still infected. I really would appreciate some advice and if I have to seek a second opinion on this, I will.

Thanks

 

[Spike 1969]

Hi there Patient

I can only go on my one experience of having an RCT on an infected tooth, I had mine treated in a very similar way and mine was also left to drain, not sure exactly where it drained to (hopefully one of our friendly dentists can answer that one) but after about a week the throbbing and soreness had subsided as the infection within the tooth had been dealt with.

As with most things dental, different dentists will approach these things in slightly different (but similarly effective) ways. If you still have the throbbing beyond a week after having it treated I would go back just to be on the safe side.

Hope all goes well for you.

kind Regards

 

[patient]

Hi there Patient

I can only go on my one experience of having an RCT on an infected tooth, I had mine treated in a very similar way and mine was also left to drain, not sure exactly where it drained to (hopefully one of our friendly dentists can answer that one) but after about a week the throbbing and soreness had subsided as the infection within the tooth had been dealt with.

As with most things dental, different dentists will approach these things in slightly different (but similarly effective) ways. If you still have the throbbing beyond a week after having it treated I would go back just to be on the safe side.

Hope all goes well for you.

kind Regards

Thanks. I have just finished the antibiotics, so surely if I still have throbbing after the antibiotics are finished, then I still have an infection therefore I would have thought the dentist would have given me a second course of antibiotics or lance the tooth and let the remaining pus drain. I do not see how cleaning the tooth to prepare for root canal and then putting in a temporary filling is going to allow the tooth to drain, but my dentist says it will drain . In order for a tooth to drain then there has to be an opening in the tooth and in the past when I have had a tooth drained, the dentist drained it by plugging the tooth with cotton wool so the puss drains onto the cotton wool and I can feel the cotton wool inside the tooth. The last time I had an infection, the dentist drained the tooth immediately and got ALL the pus out in one dental visit. I have tried to call local dentists in my area to get another dentist to listen to me and tell me whether in their opinion my own dentist is treating it properly but I am in the UK and want to see another dentist under the NHS and the dentists I have called are full up and are only taking private patients and I do not want to pay privately. I have known people to have infections, dental or otherwise which last beyond the course of the antibiotics so they are given a repeat prescription, or another stronger antibiotic if the original one is not strong enough to deaden the infection, so why is my dentist telling me yes there is still some infection left in the tooth, and not giving me more medication or draining it with the methods I have described above. I do not want to go back to my dentist and say I do not think he is doing a very good job of curing my infection, because he will be very cross with me and say to me that he is medically trained not me. Medically trained or not, mistakes can happen. I challenged a doctor years ago over something where I felt I was not getting adequate treatment and I was right. The second doctor looked at me and decided on a different course of action which worked within three weeks as opposed to 4 months with the doctor I was seeing and getting nowhere.

Thanks in advance.

 

[vicki]

Thanks. I have just finished the antibiotics, so surely if I still have throbbing after the antibiotics are finished, then I still have an infection therefore I would have thought the dentist would have given me a second course of antibiotics or lance the tooth and let the remaining pus drain.

Not necessarily; your dentist told you that the tooth was still slightly infected but that whatever was left would drain out of the tooth, therefore it may be that you don't need any more antibiotics because your body's own immune system will deal with the rest, along with finishing the root canal treatment. If the tooth is/was inflamed, then the soreness/throbbing might continue for a little while even after the antibiotics have done their job, as it can take time to settle down again.

As Spike said, different people have different ways of approaching situations, so just because the way your dentist is treating the tooth is different to what you have previously experienced or would have expected, it doesn't mean that he's doing anything wrong.

If you're going to have root canal treatment on the tooth, then you must have another appointment booked. If the throbbing doesn't improve within a few days, then I would go back and see your dentist a bit sooner, otherwise it might just be that it needs some time to settle down and it will be OK until your next appointment.

BTW, I'm in the UK and we do have Advil here - you can buy it in pharmacies. It's just another brand name for Ibuprofen.

 

[FearfulInMA]

Just to add, the throbbing pain could be indicative of a dying tooth with or without infection. The last RCT I had on a tooth that showed obvious signs of dying once the dentist was 'in' the tooth, but had never had any sign of infection. I was in intense throbbing pain prior to the RCT.

 

[patient]

Just to add, the throbbing pain could be indicative of a dying tooth with or I am without infection. The last RCT I had on a tooth that showed obvious signs of dying once the dentist was 'in' the tooth, but had never had any sign of infection. I was in intense throbbing pain prior to the RCT.

Thanks. The tooth seemed to settle down and then it flared up again. I am beginning to think this will never end. I have gone to only needing two painkillers a day, to four a day. Thankfully I have no more swelling. A friend of mine said get the tooth taken out and I said no, not until all other avenues have been done. I hate toothache. Some years ago, I actually went 7 years with no treatment, not because I didn't go to the dentist, but because I never needed anything done. I clean and floss but still have these issues.

 

[FearfulInMA]

The settling down and flaring up can also be a sign of the tooth dying. A RCT is a good treatment option for this.

 

[self pity]

Antibiotics do not "cure" a tooth infection. It mearly calms the problem down during treatment and holds further infection at bay. In my personal experience, the tooth either needs a root canal or extraction.