FRANTIC/DESPERATE LIST OF Qs BROKEN ABSCESS EXTRACTION

[babytooth]

I have had a broken tooth for a decade. A few years ago it hurt so I got antibiotics and never showed up for the extraction since it felt better. It is naturally draining through a hole in the tooth but there is a slight raise in the gums where the roots are and my face is VERY tender. My smile is also slightly asymmetrical so I think there is some minor swelling.

Now my breath is bad, I have gross sinus drainage, I feel tired all the time... sometimes I even get dizzy spells. BUT NO PAIN.

I am getting the tooth extracted FRIDAY and I am very nervous about the following:

-the dentist did not give me antibiotics to take beforehand. is this ok?
-what if there is infection in my brain?
-by pulling the tooth, won't it then heal and seal up, preventing any infection from escaping my body? wouldn't that be fatal?
-If I had infection that spread to my brain, would it show up on an x-ray? How would they know?

Does no pain mean no infection?



BONUS Q:
it is a very fragile, broken, gross half-of-a-tooth. how the heck do you pull one of those out? the dentist told me he couldn't explain the procedure, he would just have to wait and see what was going to happen. :S

 

[babytooth]

I would like to add that a previous dentist told me at a consultation that the bone was softening above the tooth. Well, the new dentist didn't mention it. He said it wasn't too infected. I'm scared he was wrong and he will open it up and have to do some huge huge emergency surgery. Sry for typos, using my phone

 

[babytooth]

Also: I have a feeling there is a bad infection but the dentist says he doesnt see one. Im scared he is wrong. What if he pulls the tooth? Will he find the infection then if its there? Will it be a bad surprise? And how would I know if the abscess w as in my brain? I think it might be draining out thru my sinuses. I keep spitting gray bloodyish but light stuf. Its gross and unpleasant. Im just scared ill somehow have a brain abscess and he will miss it. Sorry I keep adding to this but I have ORAL SURGERY TO REMOVE THIS DECADE-INFECTED TOOTH AND IM PETRIFIED

 

[letsconnect]

Hi babytooth , have a look at this thread, especially the comments by DrMike and Gordon:

How do I stop myself consulting Dr Google? He frightens me...

Everytime I try to check out any new dental symptom, I'm confronted with Ludwig's Angina, brain abscesses and septic shock. Yikes. With all of this information available at the click of a button now - do you have any advice on how to keep things in perspective, dentists & medics? I know the...

www.dentalfearcentral.org

Brain abscesses are so exceedingly rare that they make the news headlines (and as a result appear all over Google). In developed countries, infections can easily be treated with antibiotics.

Antibiotics are not routinely prescribed before extractions. They are only used when you are in a lot of pain from an acute abscess.

by pulling the tooth, won't it then heal and seal up, preventing any infection from escaping my body? wouldn't that be fatal?

Err, well I do know that this doesn't happen, but I don't know the exact scientific explanation behind it. Hopefully one of our dentists here will be along to answer this one ...

All the best for Friday and let us know how you get on

 

[comfortdentist]

long term infections make for easier extractions even with broken off roots. When I'm in the Dominican Republic I spend most of my time removing grossly decayed teeth that have had previous infections.

 

[carole]

Comfortdentist how is it easier to remove broken and infected teeth and how does the infection drain away after removal please. Thank you

 

[rob wain]

Hi Babytooth
Heres some answers

-the dentist did not give me antibiotics to take beforehand. is this ok?

absolutely fine, there is no need for antibiotics if the infection is draining from around the tooth

-what if there is infection in my brain?

there won't be because the infection is draining from around the tooth which means its not going towards your brain.

-by pulling the tooth, won't it then heal and seal up, preventing any infection from escaping my body? wouldn't that be fatal?

Think of the bad tooth as being a splinter in your finger. If you don't remove it pus builds up and the finger becomes tender. If you remove the splinter then you take away the reason for the pus and the body disposes of it all - problem solved.

-If I had infection that spread to my brain, would it show up on an x-ray? How would they know?

pus takes the easiest route out - in your case it is around the edge of the tooth and into your mouth - hence the bad breath. This means it won't track towards your brain.

Does no pain mean no infection?

no - it means that the infection(pus) is escaping around the edge of your tooth.

The good news is that the pus will have softened the bone around the root which generally means its nice and easy to remove. Once it's gone you'll feel a whole lot better.

go for it

 

[babytooth]

Wow, this post helped me a lot. It gave me the confidence to go to the dentist. unfortunately i had a really bad experience while i was there. I just wrote a post about it. i would SO greatly appreciate it if you looked it over and told me what you thought. thanks. this has been a really awful nightmare for me.

 

[comfortdentist]

Comfortdentist how is it easier to remove broken and infected teeth and how does the infection drain away after removal please. Thank you

An experienced dentist with the right instruments will have little problem the majority of the time in removing diseased broken roots.