What are the risks of an infected rotten molar?

I've been unfortunate enough to have gotten a few rotten teeth. The began rotting a few years ago when I got dry mouth from a medication I was on and no matter how much I brush they still rot. I have this one tooth, a molar right up the back top on my left, it has a foul discharge and its constantly hurting, it gives me migrains and nausea, my left lymph node is swollen, my left eye has pain behind it, my entire left jaw hurts and I am having problems with my sinuses. The emergency dental hospital have refused to treat me because I'm not on socail security and dentists tell me that it will cost $400 for an extraction which I definantly can't afford in this lifetime. Do I risk anything bad happening to my health if not already? Is the amoxillin antibiotics I have started taking going to help me?





Any advise from dental experts (not from prats looking to be hostile) would be greatly appriciated.

What are the risks of an infected rotten molar?
It's not a good idea to leave this tooth untreated, specially that the symptoms you have are considered severe.


If you can't afford to fix it, you are better off extracting it.


charging $400 to extract a tooth seems like an over charge to me.


you can find a dentist who is willing to do it for $100-150 which is about avg.


The Amixicillin you are taking will definitely help, it just needs some time to kick in. make sure you finish the whole prescription, the fact that the tooth is draining (the foul discharge) is good, it means that pus resulting from infection found a way out, along with the antibiotics should get things under control.


make sure you find a dentist who charges a reasonable fee for this extraction, if you live near a dental school, they even charge less, and they usually have some urgent care system that can accept you ASAP.


Good luck
Reply:This can be a true emergency. People have actually died from dental infections. It can affect your ability to breathe. Go to the hospital, the emergency room will have to see you.
Reply:your dental health is just as important as your other health. letting those rot and cause infection can be detrimental. those infections can travel to your heart and brain. i know it would cost a lot but is there anyway you can make payments to a dentist? borrow from a friend? a religious clergyman? or an organization? good luck!!
Reply:here are some of the things that can happen





blood poisoning


bone infection


jaw bone loss


spreading the infection to other places, brain, etc


death if not treated promptly





ive heard you can go to dental schools and they'll use you as "practice" and the help you get is free of charge. try that?
Reply:This really can be an emergency. I know it's expensive, but you definitely need to have this extracted. It sounds infected, and if it has spread to your eye, it can cause blindness and other complications. Long story short, it needs to come out, and soon. The Amoxicillin may clear up some of the infection you have, but think about it - where is the infection coming from? The bad tooth. Until the tooth comes out, it will keep causing infection, and Amoxicillin won't be able to help you, because it can't heal the tooth. I would hate to see you go blind, have sinus trouble, and maybe have bone problems in your jaw (like fractures, resportion [basically when the bone goes away due to infection] or anything else.) Do you have a Dental School near you? They do extractions for cheap - about $70 at the Dental School I go to here in Pittsburgh. That's much more affordable than $400, which is a private practice price. But please, get it out!





As for your rotten teeth in the past - has anyone ever tried to help you with the dry mouth from your medications? This is a very common problem and it can be helped! There are lots of really cheap ways to fix that, and it might help your other teeth in the future. For one, try to sip water throughout the whole day, keep a water bottle on you. The more liquid in your mouth, the more protected your teeth are. You can also try to chew sugar-free gum, especially those that have Xylitol as a sweetener. It is a sugar substitute that has been shown to actually prevent cavities. Another thing, and this might be the most important - do you rinse with Fluoride? Fluoride helps teeth to stay strong and prevents decay. I would recommend buying either the PURPLE Listerine (the only one with Fluoride, it is called "Tooth Defense) or ACT mouthwash. Rinse with these twice a day. Also, make sure you are flossing 1 time a day and brushing twice a day - no matter what! Especially with dry mouth, it's super important. Hopefully some of this might help you in the future to keep all your other teeth healthy.
Reply:You might have forgotten to visit your dentist during the time you had your medications. Teeth do not rot that fast if you are able to have them checked or cleaned at least every 6 months. It is very unfortunate that the emergency dental hospital refused to treat you. The foul discharge coming from your molar indicates an infection brewing inside the tooth and most probably including the structures surrounding the tooth. Your sinuses may already be affected coz it's situated very near the roots of your infected tooth. The amoxicillin you took may help, but hearing your condition, you might want to ask your doctor to switch you to a stronger antibiotic for better coverage. You can also try looking for any institution or dental university which may help you with this. In our country, there are some dental universities which offer free dental services to the less fortunate.



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