# I have a huge cavity, what can I do to prevent infection?



## rachelynn (Sep 12, 2008)

*Im trying to figure this out, so I thought I'd ask here.....I can't get to the dentist to have my tooth/teeth pulled out until April, do you think there's anything I can do to prevent the risk of infection/abscess? Anyone know of any natural pain relievers? :um*

*I just realized that there's a Health forum, I should have posted this there instead of here in the General Discussion!*


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## bezoomny (Feb 10, 2007)

Avoid cold or acidic drinks for your own sanity, it'll hurt really bad. I don't know what to do to prevent infection. When I had my wisdom teeth out, I was given this little squirty thing and I was supposed to clean the sores with that. Perhaps you could try that, except I really don't remember what it was.


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## quin208 (Feb 9, 2010)

gargle with salt water every once in a while. the salt will kill the bacteria. also if it starts to get an abscess than rinse your mouth out with hydrogen peroxide. that'll def kill a lot of the bacteria. as for pain relievers, that ambesol (sp?) stuff works pretty good.


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## markx (Dec 22, 2007)

Maybe you can use a temporary filler? There are a few fillers and repair kits on Amazon UK, but Amazon *US* doesn't have _any_. :roll


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

Your best bet is to not eat anything with sugar in it. It has been shown that the normal flora of people who don't eat sugar doesn't contain the bacteria that cause enamel erosion and tooth decay. Save that brush very regularly, the reason said bacteria cause enamel erosion is because as they multiply making plaque many lose their access to oxygen and must resort to anaerobic pathways to make energy. The products of these pathways are often acids(lactic acid for us, probably same thing there) which eat away the enamel. Brushing often and minimizing plaque will prevent this. On that token, avoid acidic foods and drinks like juices and carbonated beverages.


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## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

Forgive me for imposing, but what is keeping you from going to the dentist?

I had to haev a root canal done right after I was laid off in 2002 - I had no insurance and had to pay everything out of pocket. They do allow for installment payments. A root canal was $1,500 back then!

I would go to the dentist. He/She may cut you a break.


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## rachelynn (Sep 12, 2008)

Thanks everyone


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## rachelynn (Sep 12, 2008)

They are really busy I guess, April was the soonest time open and my mom asked them what should I do if it really starts to get worse or abscessed etc. and all they said is, well, then I'd get anti biotics and pain relievers until the day came where I could have it removed...:um
Also, my usual dentist is always busy too, I can't see him until the end of March to have more fillings...he can't remove wisdom teeth, so I have to see a dental surgeon. The tooth that has this huge cavity is one of my wisdom teeth...


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

I can understand making you wait for a cleaning but, it hurts, they should take you ASAP. If they won't you should threaten to find a new dentist, if they still won't see you you really should go find a better dentist.


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## matt404 (Feb 8, 2006)

Have you looked at local colleges/universities that have dental programs? They often offer low-cost dental care done by students (always under the supervision of an experienced dentist). Is your wisdom tooth fully erupted into your mouth or is it impacted? If it's fully erupted it should be fairly simple to remove it. If it's not, that would be more complicated and you'd need an oral surgeon to do it. I'm not sure if schools would offer those types of removals.

Are you actively in pain because of this cavity? If so that's fairly serious and you should be able to find some dentist who would get you in during his emergency hours. Left untreated you can develop serious infections which can spread to the bone in your jaw.


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## neurotic1 (May 17, 2009)

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.... it will numb the pain very well, and it has anti bacterial properties, very healthy for you in other ways too. You swab the area you want with it, not eat it with something, it has to be extra virgin too.


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## rachelynn (Sep 12, 2008)

The dentist I will see is an oral surgeon. 2 of my wisdom teeth are not up and I know they are impacted. The other 2 they are up and one of them is the one with a cavity. So far in the past few weeks that I've known about this cavity since I saw it, I have had very bad pain twice and other times it has hurt too but not as much as those two times. I wish this didn't happen. I've always had such bad teeth! :sigh


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## JimmyDeansRetartedCousin (Nov 28, 2009)

Valerian root is available in health food shops, It contains the natural active ingredient that Valium is derived from. You can make some tea with it, It will help you sleep too. With regards to pain, Ibuprofen, Difene, Diclofenac or paracetamol will most likely help. There are also temporary fillings available in you're local chemist, So if you're up for a bit of home-dentistry you could give that a try


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## low (Sep 27, 2009)

Hi. I had a huge cavity. One of my molars had cracked and was basically open right accross the tooth, the nerve exposed and I think it was like that for a while before I realised.

It's the worst kind of pain. It's physically the most painful thing I've endured in my life and I've had a broken foot and walked round on it for a day before I got it plastered. I've also had a sebaceous cyst cut out without anaesthetic by an idiot doctor, so pretty much been stabbed and a knife wriggled round with no pain relief. This made me howl, but I never cried. Toothace made me sob like a child basically.

The dentists I went to were emergency ones and what you find is they just patch you up and won't do certain treatments like go deep into the nerve to kill it or remove deep molars because they operate like a buisiness that wants you in and out of the door. Long story short I ended up spending around a grand on emergency dentists. In the UK if you wake up with toothache that's excrutiating and go to hospital they won't give you strong pain killers if they don't have a dental department and also even though hospitals may have dental sections that call themselves emergency clinics they are only open 9 - 5 in many areas. *It's also like a different type of pain, normal pain killers won't work, you'll need prescribed ones.*

Why am I telling you all this? Well if you aren't and also anyone just read what I've wrote - definately always - stay registered with a dentist! Because the wait time to get re-registered can be months. Secondly, ask for a deep root canal if it's bothering you (where they burn the nerves so they can't transfer pain signals anymore) or get the tooth removed. That's what I eventually did. Don't let them just fast treat you, put a filling in over it etc if it's giving you any bother more than once.

Basically like others have already said. Avoid cold foods, sugary foods. Don't eat on that area. Use mouth wash and brush regularly but don't over do it because you might disrupt your normal flora and actually increase your risk of infection. Unfortunately it's not like a skin fissure where you can pack the wound, keep it dry and clean.


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