Can my infected teeth be saved?

May 5, 2010 – 8:29 am

Hi I went to the dentist today as my gum was red and litlle bit swollen, dentist took an x-ray and told me that i have infection and they cannot treat it anymore as it is too late to do anything about it. She told me that we have to take two teeth out. Do you think there are any other ways to avoid tooth extraction? should I go to another dentist?
- Ella from the UK

Ella-
I don’t know if these two teeth are hopeless or not, but I can maybe be helpful.

Just because a tooth is infected and the gum is red doesn’t mean that it can’t be saved. Most cases of tooth infection can be treated - with root canal treatment, or gum disease treatment.

I am suspicious. If you have serious gum disease, I believe I would be hearing different things from you. Now I wasn’t there to hear what they told you, so I don’t know this. I’m just trying to plant questions to help you get more complete answers.In the case of serious gum disease, this should have been stated clearly, and there should have been a very direct discussion about what to do about ALL your teeth, not just two. If this isn’t what happened, then it means that either 1) you don’t have serious gum disease, and therefore these teeth don’t necessarily need to be extracted, or 2) they were negligent in dealing with your gum disease. So I would seek a second opinion.

Another link:
Naperville emergency dentist - Dr. Newkirk