Abscessed Tooth

kaliyama

Lucid wrote:

I don't understand how you even let your teeth get this way. I had a root canal done recently, and the pain beforehand was unbearable. I was already looking after my teeth and had regular dentist visits, but even something like a minor cavity can balloon.

Being poor doesn't mean you have to make terrible decisions like drinking soda so much. Really, listen to everyone who has posted.

Being poor, and watching one's teeth get to this state can be disheartening ... at that point, you can feel totally helpless and SOL and resigned to your fate. People in the developing world put up with all kinds of horrifying and debilitati

Lucid

I get that, but at the very least you should be aware that drinking soda is not healthy. I also meant more that I don't get how you could tolerate the pain caused by this. I had just one and it was like being stabbed in the face repeatedly.

herojoe

How much does it cost to get fillings? Because I'm pretty sure I have a cavity. I take good care of my teeth, but I had braces for two and a half years and had metal rings around two of my teeth that probably caused them to not get cleaned properly.

Enc

Edit: Go to a doctor. Everything else in here was me being a goose.

ArbitraryDescriptor

Note: The ER may just tell you they can't do shit for you and refer you to a dentist anyway, but they may give you antibiotics.

Priority 1: Deal with this infection before it kills you. At the very minimum you need to get those antibiotics from the free clinic.

Now, immediately. Your death will be slow and agonizing, and it will begin when you wake up one morning and find you're too weak to drag your ass to the doctor, or even out of bed. Then you're talking about a serious increase in medical bills and it's all going to fall on your poor ailing dad. Deal with this already.

Priority 2: Prevent further infections. Floss, mouth wash, and brush like a mother fucker. We're aren't talking about once before bed. We're talking anytime you put solid food in your mouth. Abscesses are probably being caused by bits of food getting caught in those gaping pits that you've got in all your teeth. You need to brush, then floss, then rinse your mouth out vigorously to make sure you clear out those time-bombs. Maybe twice.

Priority 3: Once you can afford it, get those fucking swiss-cheese chompers of yours sealed, torn out, or otherwise dealt with professionally. Normally this would be part of your P1 objective, but since you're dragging your feet about it, fine. Abscesses don't appear for no reason, so as long as you're keeping the proverbial raccoons out of that sewer in your face, you should be "fine"

Adhoc2008

You sound a bit depressed as well as having some awful oral health. When someone is confronted about a problem, and they know the solution but don't act on it..well i don't need to spell it out.

What I often find in this situation is the financial shortcomings are masking something else. Whether its simple fear of the dentist's chair, sometimes it can also be a fear of being TOLD that the worst is true as well.

Often the patient will imagine things are much worse than they actually are. I've seen a few cases where all teeth must be removed (full clearance) but the vast majority of the time this is not the case. Most of the time some teeth can be saved with a little filling work etc. People are generally amazed that this is the case since the picture they painted in their mind is for every tooth to be pulled. I cannot emphasis the difference between having some teeth, and having none. There are simple physiological changes from complete loss of teeth that will effect your entire life.

OP, I imagine you are quite young. If you dont know the eventual outcome of having full dentures at a young age, i think you need to consider it. Dentures limit your ability to eat, reduce your biting force, can make a huge amount of social discomfort (imagine not being able to eat outside or with anyone because you are worried your teeth will fall out). There have been many studies linking loss of all teeth to earlier onset of dementia, as well as general health issues. Lastly, if you lose teeth at this early age, by the time you are a little older, the bone resorption (because the teeth's roots hold the bone in place) that will have taken place will have reduced your gum height to flat, or negative, making any sort of prosthesis extremely difficult to keep in. Yeah, 60 year old you. Without even a denture as an acceptable option. Sound fun?

Hopefully you find a solution and change your attitude soon.