Tooth infection and no money for a dentist

There is an infected tooth in your mouth, the quote you were given is more than you have, and you are hoping it settles down on its own.

Some of it can wait a few days and some of it cannot wait at all, and the difference is worth knowing tonight. The cheap routes are real, and so is the line where cost stops being the deciding factor.

The signs that mean hospital tonight, whatever it costs

Swelling that spreads into the face, closes an eye, or pushes down under the jaw is an emergency. So is trouble swallowing, trouble opening the mouth, a fever alongside the tooth, or a racing heart.

Those signs mean the infection has left the tooth and moved into the surrounding tissue, where it travels fast and reaches places that matter. An emergency department treats this and sorts the billing out afterwards, which is the right order.

Everything further down this page is about the situation before that point.

• swelling spreading across the face or under the jaw
• difficulty swallowing or breathing
• a mouth that will not open properly
• fever, chills or feeling generally unwell

You should get it removed. Eventually it will decay to the point of hurting and infection can spread even without pain. Once the tooth has decayed and broken down more, it will be harder for the dentist to extract.

— r/askdentists

An infection that stopped hurting is still an infection

Pain stopping is the most misread signal in dentistry. When the nerve inside a tooth dies, the pain goes with it, and people reasonably conclude the problem has resolved.

The infection carries on underneath, in the bone around the root, where there is no nerve left to report it. Months of quiet are common and they are not good news.

A tooth that hurt badly and then went silent is on the list of things to deal with, near the top.

Since the tooth was already infected , the nerve and blood supply were already dead, hence no pain and no bleeding. This hole may allow future infection to “drain” but more than likely it will just get plugged with food. See a dentist for IV sedation and get it extracted like planned. You may still be able to save it with a root canal and crown depending on how deep you drilled.

— r/askdentists

Dental schools charge a fraction of private fees

Dental schools run teaching clinics where students treat patients under the supervision of qualified faculty, and the fees are far below private practice. Appointments take longer because every step gets checked.

The work is slow and the oversight is heavier than anything in a normal surgery. For an extraction or a filling, slow and checked twice is a reasonable trade for the price.

Search for the nearest dental school and ask for the patient clinic directly rather than the main switchboard.

Yeah, upvote on this one. I had a wisdom tooth extracted at a dental school, and they did a great job. Cost me about 1/3 what it would have if I'd gone to a regular dentist. Not only that, but the student who did it was glad to actually be able to get experience in taking out a wisdom tooth.

— r/AskReddit

The other routes worth a phone call today

Community health centres and sliding-scale clinics set fees against income, and many have a dental service attached. The scale is usually not advertised, so it has to be asked about.

Charity dental days run periodically in most regions and treat people free, usually extractions and fillings rather than anything elaborate. Local dental associations keep the calendar.

Ask any practice directly about payment over time. A great many will spread the cost rather than lose the patient, and the question costs nothing to ask.

NAD. If you can't afford to see a dentist, go to a dental school.

— r/askdentists

Extraction is cheaper than saving the tooth, and sometimes the right call

An extraction costs a fraction of a root canal and a crown. When money is the binding constraint, taking the tooth out ends the infection and ends it today.

Losing a back tooth is a genuine loss and worth avoiding where it can be afforded. Keeping an infected one in the jaw because the better treatment is out of reach is the worse of the two outcomes.

Ask for both prices and ask which teeth are load-bearing for your bite. The answer changes the decision.

That tooth has got to go. Trust me, call the dentist now before you develop a massive infection and have to deal with a lot of pain. Get ahead of it.

— r/askdentists

Being judged is the fear, and it is not what happens

Fear of what the dentist will say keeps people out of the chair longer than cost does. The imagined lecture is vivid and almost nobody reports receiving it.

Dentists see neglected mouths constantly, and most of them went into the work because fixing them is satisfying. Years of avoidance is an ordinary history rather than a confession.

Say on the phone that it has been a long time and that money is tight. Both sentences make the appointment easier, not harder.

As a dentist, I would be thrilled to see you. We love to fix people up. My only worry would be if you could afford what you need as I’m well aware that dentistry is very expensive. I adore helping people any way that I can. That’s exactly why I became a dentist.

— r/askdentists

Common questions

Can a tooth infection go away on its own?

The pain can go away on its own; the infection does not. Pain stops when the nerve dies, and the infection carries on in the bone around the root. The tooth still needs treating.

When does a tooth infection become an emergency?

When swelling spreads into the face or under the jaw, when swallowing or opening the mouth becomes difficult, or when there is fever alongside the tooth. Those mean the infection has moved beyond the tooth and need same-day hospital care.

Where can I get dental treatment with no money and no insurance?

Dental school clinics, community health centres with sliding-scale fees, and periodic charity dental days. Dental schools are usually the most reliable of the three and treat routine work at a fraction of private fees.

Is it better to have the tooth pulled if I cannot afford a root canal?

Often yes. An extraction ends the infection at a fraction of the cost. Losing a tooth matters, and leaving an infected one in place matters more. Ask for both prices before deciding.

Will antibiotics fix an infected tooth?

They can knock the infection back and buy time, which is sometimes exactly what is needed. The source stays in the tooth, so the infection tends to return until the tooth itself is treated or removed.

Check yourself against the emergency list first. If any of it applies, go tonight and deal with the bill afterwards, because that part is survivable and the alternative is not.

If none of it applies, spend tomorrow morning on the phone: the nearest dental school, then the nearest community health centre, then the practice that gave you the quote to ask about paying over time. One of those three usually opens.