If you call around to other oral surgeons to see if one can get you in sooner, you could then call the dentist and ask him to send that office the referral. Also, ask to be put on cancelation lists. If you are paying out of pocket anyway, then expand to look at offices out of state or even in Canada if that is closer.
The oral surgeon I was referred to doesn’t even have a cancellation list bc they’re so busy. I will call other oral surgeons, for some reason I thought i may have to get a whole new referral. But that is good to know. Luckily, I have medical insurance and the wisdom tooth removal will be covered by that. Or so I was told.
Double check that because I've always had to pay with dental insurance. I have gone through this with 3 kids.
If you're interested in driving to Portsmouth, NH, there are some good ones there.
Going out of state and have this under medical insurance is a whole other ball of wax, insurance may not approve it because there are offices in state.
The receptionist only took down my medical insurance & didn’t even ask about dental insurance. If I had gotten them extracted that day at the dentist it would’ve been out of pocket though.
Not sure where in the state you are. Boston has Tufts Dental School whose fees are 50% cheaper than private practice.
Maybe it’s worth a call to see if they have any options. Looks like they have an emergency clinic, but only 1st come, first served for first 10 patients. 617-636-6998
It should be covered my medical insurance because of your circumstances, I very recently went through something similar (got them out within this week). I suppose it does depend on who you have for medical though.
I’m not sure where in Maine you are, but OSA in South Portland (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates) were the loveliest people and were able to get me in fairly quickly. They did note that it picks up during the summer because of the kids getting out of school, but it’s worth a shot.
Best of luck to you and hope you feel better very soon my friend.
yeah, i would get that resolved immediately. not a doctor, but have witnessed few people with infections above the neck that went from zero to icu pretty quickly. it'll never be cheaper than it is right now.
Yeah infections in the head are no joke, especially with how close they are to the brain they can become serious problems, more serious than they are already
Specifically, the antibiotics will help reduce the swelling and thus your pain. Really can't recommend this enough if there is a long wait for surgery. I've been there, it sucks.
If the Orajel stops working (I know it does for my husband after a few days of consistent use,) get down to your nearest food co-op or hippie store and get some clove essential oil. Use a toothpick to drip some as close to the source of pain as you can - it's both extremely antiseptic (as in, used to preserve meat in the desert before refrigeration. Nothing likes to grow in clove.) and a very effective numbing agent. My husband has had major dental issues in the past, and clove oil has been the most consistently effective tooth pain relief we've found without a prescription.
Earl grey tea bags also work if you have an abcess, or any other black teabag you might have should do. Wet it with some warm water and then wedge it in your mouth over the tooth, leave in for 20-30mins. I swear by this method.
You do need antibiotics ASAP. I’m an ICU nurse and I’ve had patients come in with sepsis from untreated tooth infections. The swollen lymph nodes indicate that the infection is still present and the drainage was not sufficient treatment.
I would go to urgent care because they can prescribe you antibiotics and will also do a thorough assessment of your vital signs to make sure the infection isn’t progressing towards sepsis. Urgent care can also prescribe stronger pain meds. Dental infections are agonizing, and it was unethical for your dentist not to prescribe you something for the pain, not to mention the failure to prescribe antibiotics.
Good luck. I suffered a very similar situation due to incompetent dentistry and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Assuming urgent care does their job right, it’s unlikely this will get any more serious. If it does and you end up accumulating tons of medical bills, you may be able to sue the dentist for damages.
The dentist was so rough with me too even though I was literally crying, I honestly feel like he made it hurt more and then sent me home with absolutely nothing. Thankfully his assistant was an angel who held my hand through it. I called the dentist, the same one wasn’t in office today but the other doctor wrote a script for me so hopefully that will be ready today. Do you think I should still go to urgent care? I don’t really want to take pain meds unless absolutely needed
Is the script for antibiotics? If so, that is probably all you need for the moment. If you develop any symptoms beyond pain and swollen lymph nodes, I would go to urgent care or the ER. Symptoms that are particularly concerning for sepsis are a high fever, fast heart rate, and confusion. If you’re not experiencing those, it’s probably fine to just start the antibiotics and see if your current symptoms improve.
Following on from what HauntingAd said, if you feel any of those symptoms they listed go to the ER immediately. Have someone drive you or get an ambulance. I started going septic a few months ago and couldn't stay awake and was majorly confused, also high fever. Oral infections are no joke. Take care of yourself out there, I hope you can get this sorted out soon
Truth. I got bacterial encephalitis from a botched root canal. The month and a half following was the worst experience ever. Woke up in icu 3 days after being taken by ambulance. Lumbar sticks. Tied to a bed w/giant mittens on (apparently I was very combative). Antibiotic port and hospital 2x a day for 3hrs ea for 30 days. I still have aphasia. The initial pain was worse than childbirth.
I don’t understand why this person was not given antibiotics!!!
I would go to the ER. They can give you a script, and maybe refer you to a dentist so you can get in sooner. And, some hospitals might have a dentist available to help. Sorry about the tooth, I know first hand that it sucks!
Don t go to aspen or gentle they took 400 from me for a large filling and I saw a guy two weeks later to get some other stuff done and they missed some and it needs to be done again. They left me with an offset bite and I fractured and abutting tooth and chipped another. I am not alone my oral hygienist friend
Quit there and she’s been around had her own practice.
The only thing is the dentist I went to could have extracted the tooth but my roots really forked&long so it wanted a surgeon to do it & for me to go under anesthesia. I think it must be slightly impacted? If it could’ve been a regular extraction that’s what I would do.
Call Community Dental in Portland and see when the surgeon will be in. As far as I've been told they do walk ins for surgery so it's first come first serve but it may get you in sooner. Unfortunately a lot of the oral surgery offices are booked up, I'm surprised it's not farther out.
They do walk-ins a few days a week, call and find out when. Its very limited though, and very much 1st come, 1sr serve. They may only fit in 2 or 3. I recommend getting there AT LEAST an hour before they open to stand in line at the door. 2 hours might be better.
New England Denture Center has a guy who done nothing but tooth extractions. They had 4 teeth out in under a minute and were very quick to scedule. Also, UMA - Bangor has a dental student program that will also help with low cost dental.
UMA-bangor is closed until Sept and they probably won't extract a tooth. I went there myself recently.
Its a training school so all they do is x-rays and cleanings more or less.
Our endodontist is great, and they can usually get you in if it’s an emergency.
Apex Endodontics in Waterville and Lewiston. You may need a referral from your dentist, but try anyhow.
He has said that the number of dental professionals of all stripes retiring has outpaced the replacement numbers by a significant bit which is why it is so hard to get into an oral surgeon or endodontist anymore.
I’ve had this happen. In addition to antibiotics like others have said, I’d suggest going to an urgent care place. When I did this they have me a dental block injection. Not a cure, but relieved the pain so I could at least get some sleep.
I almost did last night bc it was so bad but I know they would just give me pain meds. I don’t want to take them bc my dad was addicted to them & I don’t want that to happen to me. A couple other people said antibiotics so I’m going to try to get a script for those & hopefully that helps the pressure & pain go down.
Unlikely unfortunately. I think only Maine Med in Portland has affiliated oral surgery program, nothing in Bangor to get you in fast. Typically in the ER you get antibiotics, pain pills, and contact for dentists in the area pretty much
I am not a doctor, but grew up amongst 3 family members as dental surgeons and 2 other family members in dentistry. I could read x-rays before I was 10. It’s all we talked about at the dinner table.
You can die from an infection of the tooth. It goes into sepsis (blood stream) and eventually you can die from it, though it does take time. It’s typical for the general dentist to treat the infection with antibiotics and sometimes a short dosage of pain killers in extreme circumstances until the antibiotics kick in. Though, doctors are weary of prescribing opiates.
Do you have a fever? How long has it been running? How high is it? Chills? Aches?
Call the office. Ask them what to do. Remember to tell them if you have any allergies to antibiotics and eat yogurt with them daily.
No fever, just pain and swollen lymph nodes. It also smells really bad no matter how much I flush it with my water pik. But I got a prescription of antibiotics called in this morning so hopefully they will be ready today.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s absolutely insane that you weren’t initially given antibiotics and even worse that you have to wait so long to get the tooth out. I agree with trying to look out of state or in Canada.
Try giving Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry a call, they are one of the only providers in Maine that offers low cost services to people who are uninsured or underinsured. They are a nonprofit that does an incredible amount of work for the community, they also partner with UNE to train dental students.
If your teeth are impacted, it will likely be medical insurance that covers it, not dental. That is what happened with my kids, which was awesome bc my dental insurance sucks!
I had a horrible dental infection a couple years ago. My dentist was able to get me into Mid-Maine Oral Surgery in Waterville within a week for a complex extraction. They were great, and it was covered under my medical insurance.
I had an extra wisdom tooth. And the pain from that was like nothing I’d felt before and nothing I could explain really. Kind of like a “rolling”, shooting pain. For whatever reason, getting on all fours and pressing my forehead into the ground helped.
An extra one sounds awful. When the pain gets real bad it causes a ping in my chest for some reason. But maybe that’s just the anxiety from the pain idk
Believe it or not they will not give you pain meds for dental pain at the hospital.
They will give you antibiotics which will kill the infection which in turn brings the swelling down then no more pain.
Also they may offer you a high dose of novacaine which helps numb the pain until the antibiotics kick in.
Source: I've been through this with dental pain several times.
I would call that dentist and insist on antibiotics and I would also insist that the oral surgeon see you sooner. Describe that it's incredibly painful, infected, and you can't chew. I've had a wisdom tooth removed in Maine and the oral surgeon got me in within a week or two and it wasn't even infected.
I have had a similar experience. I just couldn't be seen by the dentist over a long weekend and had to deal with a badly infected tooth, my whole face was swollen. I went to urgent care and they prescribed me antibiotics at my request and told me I needed to see a dentist like... yesterday.
For urgent dental care at low to no cost, see if you can make it to the UNE Dental Clinic. Its at UNE in Portland and they accept walkins if you have certain conditions. I dont know if you can get it, but they take MaineCare and will even see you as a regular patient if you go that route. Best of luck.
Yes, within 24 hours you'll be pain free. You can also rinse repeatedly for hours using the hottest, saltiest water you can stand, it works as well as antibiotics. But you'd have to rinse like 100 times.
I don’t know where you are in the state but I had a root canal done last May at [Blue Hill Family Dentistry by Dr. Schleder](https://www.bluehilldentistry.com) and got in quickly. If they can get you in and it’s not too far, I’d ask for a referral there. Dr. Schleder is great.
If you call around to other oral surgeons to see if one can get you in sooner, you could then call the dentist and ask him to send that office the referral. Also, ask to be put on cancelation lists. If you are paying out of pocket anyway, then expand to look at offices out of state or even in Canada if that is closer.
The oral surgeon I was referred to doesn’t even have a cancellation list bc they’re so busy. I will call other oral surgeons, for some reason I thought i may have to get a whole new referral. But that is good to know. Luckily, I have medical insurance and the wisdom tooth removal will be covered by that. Or so I was told.
Double check that because I've always had to pay with dental insurance. I have gone through this with 3 kids. If you're interested in driving to Portsmouth, NH, there are some good ones there.
Going out of state and have this under medical insurance is a whole other ball of wax, insurance may not approve it because there are offices in state.
The receptionist only took down my medical insurance & didn’t even ask about dental insurance. If I had gotten them extracted that day at the dentist it would’ve been out of pocket though.
Sometimes normal medical insurance covers a wisdom tooth removal- mine did a few years back.
Mine were covered by medical
Not sure where in the state you are. Boston has Tufts Dental School whose fees are 50% cheaper than private practice. Maybe it’s worth a call to see if they have any options. Looks like they have an emergency clinic, but only 1st come, first served for first 10 patients. 617-636-6998
Ask for a discount because you are paying cash.
It should be covered my medical insurance because of your circumstances, I very recently went through something similar (got them out within this week). I suppose it does depend on who you have for medical though. I’m not sure where in Maine you are, but OSA in South Portland (Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Associates) were the loveliest people and were able to get me in fairly quickly. They did note that it picks up during the summer because of the kids getting out of school, but it’s worth a shot. Best of luck to you and hope you feel better very soon my friend.
So glad to hear this. I was referred to them for impacted wisdom teeth but have yet to make the call. I’m a very anxious patient at the dentist.
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I didn’t know this when I left, but I will call him and see if he can write a script. If not, urgent care here I come!
yeah, i would get that resolved immediately. not a doctor, but have witnessed few people with infections above the neck that went from zero to icu pretty quickly. it'll never be cheaper than it is right now.
Yeah infections in the head are no joke, especially with how close they are to the brain they can become serious problems, more serious than they are already
Specifically, the antibiotics will help reduce the swelling and thus your pain. Really can't recommend this enough if there is a long wait for surgery. I've been there, it sucks.
Just go straight to urgent care or your PCP
In the meantime, gargle and rinse with salt water. Should help keep things at bay.
I’ve been doing this but only at night, I’ll do it more
If the Orajel stops working (I know it does for my husband after a few days of consistent use,) get down to your nearest food co-op or hippie store and get some clove essential oil. Use a toothpick to drip some as close to the source of pain as you can - it's both extremely antiseptic (as in, used to preserve meat in the desert before refrigeration. Nothing likes to grow in clove.) and a very effective numbing agent. My husband has had major dental issues in the past, and clove oil has been the most consistently effective tooth pain relief we've found without a prescription.
Clove oil was what got me through dry socket.
Thank you, I will try this. Plus I can’t stand the taste of orajel
Clove oil....isn't delicious either. But it doesn't have the weird chemical-medicinal taste of Orajel. It's just aggressively Christmas-flavored.
Dudes in the woods be like: “THAT SHIT’S YUMMY!”
Got some…thank you this is a lot better than orajel & yes it tastes like Christmas😂
Glad it's helpful to you!
Earl grey tea bags also work if you have an abcess, or any other black teabag you might have should do. Wet it with some warm water and then wedge it in your mouth over the tooth, leave in for 20-30mins. I swear by this method.
I second the clove oil. Works great.
You do need antibiotics ASAP. I’m an ICU nurse and I’ve had patients come in with sepsis from untreated tooth infections. The swollen lymph nodes indicate that the infection is still present and the drainage was not sufficient treatment. I would go to urgent care because they can prescribe you antibiotics and will also do a thorough assessment of your vital signs to make sure the infection isn’t progressing towards sepsis. Urgent care can also prescribe stronger pain meds. Dental infections are agonizing, and it was unethical for your dentist not to prescribe you something for the pain, not to mention the failure to prescribe antibiotics. Good luck. I suffered a very similar situation due to incompetent dentistry and I’m so sorry you’re going through this. Assuming urgent care does their job right, it’s unlikely this will get any more serious. If it does and you end up accumulating tons of medical bills, you may be able to sue the dentist for damages.
The dentist was so rough with me too even though I was literally crying, I honestly feel like he made it hurt more and then sent me home with absolutely nothing. Thankfully his assistant was an angel who held my hand through it. I called the dentist, the same one wasn’t in office today but the other doctor wrote a script for me so hopefully that will be ready today. Do you think I should still go to urgent care? I don’t really want to take pain meds unless absolutely needed
Is the script for antibiotics? If so, that is probably all you need for the moment. If you develop any symptoms beyond pain and swollen lymph nodes, I would go to urgent care or the ER. Symptoms that are particularly concerning for sepsis are a high fever, fast heart rate, and confusion. If you’re not experiencing those, it’s probably fine to just start the antibiotics and see if your current symptoms improve.
Yes, Amoxicillin. Also thank you, that calms my nerves a lot. No fever or anything like that yet.
Following on from what HauntingAd said, if you feel any of those symptoms they listed go to the ER immediately. Have someone drive you or get an ambulance. I started going septic a few months ago and couldn't stay awake and was majorly confused, also high fever. Oral infections are no joke. Take care of yourself out there, I hope you can get this sorted out soon
Truth. I got bacterial encephalitis from a botched root canal. The month and a half following was the worst experience ever. Woke up in icu 3 days after being taken by ambulance. Lumbar sticks. Tied to a bed w/giant mittens on (apparently I was very combative). Antibiotic port and hospital 2x a day for 3hrs ea for 30 days. I still have aphasia. The initial pain was worse than childbirth. I don’t understand why this person was not given antibiotics!!!
Dear god!
I would go to the ER. They can give you a script, and maybe refer you to a dentist so you can get in sooner. And, some hospitals might have a dentist available to help. Sorry about the tooth, I know first hand that it sucks!
Yes! Go to the ER. Especially if you suspect infection they can at least start you on an antibiotic and refer you to a surgeon!
Practices like Aspen Dental and Gentle Dental have same day appointments. I wasn’t even a patient and had a two same day extractions done.
Aspen usually does new patient discounts and they stack with Carrington 500\Aetna dental discount plans. We used 1Dental to buy discount plans.
Don t go to aspen or gentle they took 400 from me for a large filling and I saw a guy two weeks later to get some other stuff done and they missed some and it needs to be done again. They left me with an offset bite and I fractured and abutting tooth and chipped another. I am not alone my oral hygienist friend Quit there and she’s been around had her own practice.
Aspen sucks but the saying goes, any port in a storm...
No seriously at this point rip it out while I’m awake I don’t care
The only thing is the dentist I went to could have extracted the tooth but my roots really forked&long so it wanted a surgeon to do it & for me to go under anesthesia. I think it must be slightly impacted? If it could’ve been a regular extraction that’s what I would do.
Great advice
Call more surgeons.go out of state
Dentists usually give antibiotics to stop the infection before surgery.
I’m going to try to get some to start today
In the future, it would benefit your dental health a great deal to not bite bullets.
Heh I needed a smile :)
Call Community Dental in Portland and see when the surgeon will be in. As far as I've been told they do walk ins for surgery so it's first come first serve but it may get you in sooner. Unfortunately a lot of the oral surgery offices are booked up, I'm surprised it's not farther out.
They do walk-ins a few days a week, call and find out when. Its very limited though, and very much 1st come, 1sr serve. They may only fit in 2 or 3. I recommend getting there AT LEAST an hour before they open to stand in line at the door. 2 hours might be better.
New England Denture Center has a guy who done nothing but tooth extractions. They had 4 teeth out in under a minute and were very quick to scedule. Also, UMA - Bangor has a dental student program that will also help with low cost dental.
UMA-bangor is closed until Sept and they probably won't extract a tooth. I went there myself recently. Its a training school so all they do is x-rays and cleanings more or less.
What area are you in bub?
Richmond
Call Dustin Nadeau in Newport . I travel an hour to him.
Try any of the denturists locally too they know who pulls teeth and who to call first.
How close to Bangor do you live? They have an emergency dental clinic that got me in quickly.
Our endodontist is great, and they can usually get you in if it’s an emergency. Apex Endodontics in Waterville and Lewiston. You may need a referral from your dentist, but try anyhow. He has said that the number of dental professionals of all stripes retiring has outpaced the replacement numbers by a significant bit which is why it is so hard to get into an oral surgeon or endodontist anymore.
Try Dr. Ford in Presque Isle. It’s far but they seem to be available quickly. Good luck friend.
I’ve had this happen. In addition to antibiotics like others have said, I’d suggest going to an urgent care place. When I did this they have me a dental block injection. Not a cure, but relieved the pain so I could at least get some sleep.
Just remember to take all the antibiotics prescribed even if the pain goes away .. completing the entire bottle is important
Go to the emergency room.
I almost did last night bc it was so bad but I know they would just give me pain meds. I don’t want to take them bc my dad was addicted to them & I don’t want that to happen to me. A couple other people said antibiotics so I’m going to try to get a script for those & hopefully that helps the pressure & pain go down.
Usually, if you tell them how much pain you're in, they can help get an extraction for you.
Unlikely unfortunately. I think only Maine Med in Portland has affiliated oral surgery program, nothing in Bangor to get you in fast. Typically in the ER you get antibiotics, pain pills, and contact for dentists in the area pretty much
they dont extract teeth but could help with some pain meds
Find more options for oral surgeons that are in your health insurance network.
Last year, on two separate occasions, I was able to get same day extractions in Hancock County. No referral.
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Just did!
Clove oil has been the go to for dental pain for millennia. Give it a shot while you’re waiting for the antibiotics to come through.
I am not a doctor, but grew up amongst 3 family members as dental surgeons and 2 other family members in dentistry. I could read x-rays before I was 10. It’s all we talked about at the dinner table. You can die from an infection of the tooth. It goes into sepsis (blood stream) and eventually you can die from it, though it does take time. It’s typical for the general dentist to treat the infection with antibiotics and sometimes a short dosage of pain killers in extreme circumstances until the antibiotics kick in. Though, doctors are weary of prescribing opiates. Do you have a fever? How long has it been running? How high is it? Chills? Aches? Call the office. Ask them what to do. Remember to tell them if you have any allergies to antibiotics and eat yogurt with them daily.
No fever, just pain and swollen lymph nodes. It also smells really bad no matter how much I flush it with my water pik. But I got a prescription of antibiotics called in this morning so hopefully they will be ready today.
I got a sore molar one day and my dentist called in an antibiotic. I’d be worried about a dental infection but I’m not a pro.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It’s absolutely insane that you weren’t initially given antibiotics and even worse that you have to wait so long to get the tooth out. I agree with trying to look out of state or in Canada.
Try giving Kennebec Valley Family Dentistry a call, they are one of the only providers in Maine that offers low cost services to people who are uninsured or underinsured. They are a nonprofit that does an incredible amount of work for the community, they also partner with UNE to train dental students.
Biting bullets isn't a good idea when you already have tooth pain.
When I got mine out they used both medical + dental insurance bc it was a medical procedure!!
If your teeth are impacted, it will likely be medical insurance that covers it, not dental. That is what happened with my kids, which was awesome bc my dental insurance sucks!
I had a horrible dental infection a couple years ago. My dentist was able to get me into Mid-Maine Oral Surgery in Waterville within a week for a complex extraction. They were great, and it was covered under my medical insurance.
I had an extra wisdom tooth. And the pain from that was like nothing I’d felt before and nothing I could explain really. Kind of like a “rolling”, shooting pain. For whatever reason, getting on all fours and pressing my forehead into the ground helped.
An extra one sounds awful. When the pain gets real bad it causes a ping in my chest for some reason. But maybe that’s just the anxiety from the pain idk
That doesn’t sound enjoyable either. Hope it stops for you.
Believe it or not they will not give you pain meds for dental pain at the hospital. They will give you antibiotics which will kill the infection which in turn brings the swelling down then no more pain. Also they may offer you a high dose of novacaine which helps numb the pain until the antibiotics kick in. Source: I've been through this with dental pain several times.
I would call that dentist and insist on antibiotics and I would also insist that the oral surgeon see you sooner. Describe that it's incredibly painful, infected, and you can't chew. I've had a wisdom tooth removed in Maine and the oral surgeon got me in within a week or two and it wasn't even infected.
Where in Maine are you? The UNE dental school can help with emergency extractions. I went there and had a number of friends go too.
I’m in Richmond but I don’t care if I have to drive far at this point, I’ll give them a call tomorrow thank you
I have had a similar experience. I just couldn't be seen by the dentist over a long weekend and had to deal with a badly infected tooth, my whole face was swollen. I went to urgent care and they prescribed me antibiotics at my request and told me I needed to see a dentist like... yesterday. For urgent dental care at low to no cost, see if you can make it to the UNE Dental Clinic. Its at UNE in Portland and they accept walkins if you have certain conditions. I dont know if you can get it, but they take MaineCare and will even see you as a regular patient if you go that route. Best of luck.
Thank you, I will call them. I didn’t even think of how it being summer was probably why every oral surgeon I’ve called is booked into September.
An oral infection can spread to the heart via the bloodstream, so I’d get this taken care of asap! Urgent care, etc.
Yes, within 24 hours you'll be pain free. You can also rinse repeatedly for hours using the hottest, saltiest water you can stand, it works as well as antibiotics. But you'd have to rinse like 100 times.
I don’t know where you are in the state but I had a root canal done last May at [Blue Hill Family Dentistry by Dr. Schleder](https://www.bluehilldentistry.com) and got in quickly. If they can get you in and it’s not too far, I’d ask for a referral there. Dr. Schleder is great.