Dental Abscess & Dentists in LA
August 7, 2014 12:23 PM Subscribe
I developed an abscess after wisdom tooth surgery. The surgery itself was a little over 2 months ago, first noticed swelling and pain from the abscess about 1 month ago. Already tried antibiotics and I know I need to go to a dentist as soon as I can. I can't go to my old dentist because I just moved across the country.
I'm lucky in that I'm starting a new job on Monday and will immediately have medical/dental benefits again but I'm also very broke and might not be able to afford any co-pays until my first paycheck. Which means I could be dealing with this for another two or three weeks. And of course all information online tells me I need to deal with it immediately, death is lurking around the corner.
It's not all that painful, just a little uncomfortable, and the cheek swelling seems to improve with warm compresses. There's also a gross little swollen skin flap thing in the extraction site (I believe the flap is from when my last dentist re-opened the wound in an attempt to fix dry socket) which seems to go more or less away after biting down on a tea bag. I'm also taking OTC ibuprofen. It had noticeably improved a few days of consistently keep up with all that, but I got a little lazy and the swelling has returned.
So, I'm re-starting that routine but is there anything else I could/should be doing to prevent it from getting worse? And any recommendations for a good dentist in Los Angeles? Preferably on the Eastside.
I'm lucky in that I'm starting a new job on Monday and will immediately have medical/dental benefits again but I'm also very broke and might not be able to afford any co-pays until my first paycheck. Which means I could be dealing with this for another two or three weeks. And of course all information online tells me I need to deal with it immediately, death is lurking around the corner.
It's not all that painful, just a little uncomfortable, and the cheek swelling seems to improve with warm compresses. There's also a gross little swollen skin flap thing in the extraction site (I believe the flap is from when my last dentist re-opened the wound in an attempt to fix dry socket) which seems to go more or less away after biting down on a tea bag. I'm also taking OTC ibuprofen. It had noticeably improved a few days of consistently keep up with all that, but I got a little lazy and the swelling has returned.
So, I'm re-starting that routine but is there anything else I could/should be doing to prevent it from getting worse? And any recommendations for a good dentist in Los Angeles? Preferably on the Eastside.
An infection near your brain is nothing to fool around with or let ride for months (!), especially an infection that has proven its ability to survive antibiotics. If you are worried about the cost of getting this taken care of, try nearby dental schools. But I wouldn't think of letting it go another day or two, much less weeks or months.
posted by GoLikeHellMachine at 12:32 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by GoLikeHellMachine at 12:32 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
There are a bunch of free and low-cost dental clinics in Los Angeles. You can call St. John’s for a referral at 323-541-1411. USC also has a dental clinic. Here's a great PDF on low cost dentists in LA.
posted by JuliaKM at 12:58 PM on August 7, 2014
posted by JuliaKM at 12:58 PM on August 7, 2014
This is what credit is for. Care Credit is good, or any other credit card you can open, or anyone who will give you a loan.
posted by bleep at 12:58 PM on August 7, 2014
posted by bleep at 12:58 PM on August 7, 2014
Response by poster: I've got an appointment with somebody on Tuesday. I thought maybe I could keep it in check until I was a little more on my feet, since it really doesn't feel all that bad, but I guess that's the wrong approach with mouth infections. Thanks!
posted by AtoBtoA at 1:11 PM on August 7, 2014
posted by AtoBtoA at 1:11 PM on August 7, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
Ask the dental office to bill you for the copay or open up a Care Credit card and pay with that.
Don't let this delay any longer than next week. Wisdom teeth and dental infections are no joke.
p.s. It's extraordinarily unlikely that you'll get your insurance card actually on Monday even if your insurance is active on that date. Your HR person should be able to print you out a temp card with your policy info and ID number directly from the provider's website. Make sure you ask for that. Advocate for yourself!!
posted by phunniemee at 12:31 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]