Hello Dr. Hall
My face is swollen on my right side and the teeth inside have cavities. It’s been swollen about a month. I ate something yesterday that made it hurt and it has swollen a lot more and hurts now. I understand I need a dentist but I can’t afford one as I just got laid off my job. Any advice for me on how to care for this issue at home? I live in Orangeburg, South Carolina and I have no car or no help to a dentist but I’ve heard from friends none of the dentists around my city will work with payment. So what do I do?? My credit ain’t worth a crap either so I’m screwed but I feel something is really wrong. Really worried. Please help me somehow. Thanks. I clean for a living. I can clean anything from top to bottom. Any advice please help.
– April from Orangeburg, SC
(see Dr. Hall’s answer below)
We thank our advertisers who help fund this site.
April,
I get questions like this from time to time and I’ve told people to call around and ask dental offices where their local charity dental clinic is. But, from the lack of response I get, I’m thinking people, maybe for shyness, don’t want to do that, or maybe they just don’t believe me. I decided to take this a step further with you and do the research to find such a clinic, because I’m worried about you. A dental infection that is starting to cause facial swelling is nothing to sit back and just watch. Five to ten people each year die from dental infections. Some people think that they can just take antibiotics. While that works for most infections, the source of a dental infection like this is
Family Health Centers in Orangeburg, SC
Orangeburg has a population of only about 14,000 and it is the county seat of Orangeburg county which has about 84,000 people. But still I found a clinic that does charity dental work. It’s a non-profit called Family Health Centers, and they provide a variety of health-related services, including dentistry.
Dentists tend to be people who wanted a profession where they could help people, and many dentists will volunteer time at these clinics. In larger cities where they have a dental school, dental students will volunteer there to get more experience. They won’t do elaborate treatments like root canals or crowns, but they will place temporary fillings, maybe even some permanent fillings, and do extractions. Getting treatment for an infection like this that is starting to invade your body could save your life.
Here’s a post I wrote about a tragic death from an incompletely treated tooth infection.
– Dr. Hall
Do you have a comment or anything else to add? We’d love to hear from you. Enter your comment below. Or click here to ask Dr. Hall a question.
They even provide a mobile dental clinic, which I imagine will travel throughout the county.
About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.
Thank you so much for the information. I’ll try them. I’ll let you know what happens. Thanks again.