Hello,

Over a month ago, a big filling fell out and took part of my existing tooth with it. It does not hurt but I was left with a decent sized hole in which food gets caught. It's a tooth that does the heavy chewing in the back. My dentist said a crown would be the best solution because a filling would be temporary. I had surgery July 1 so I waited until now. Just saw him today and now he said the surrounding gums look red. He took an x-ray and then perscribed me an antibiotic for a week. He said he would see me back and then do the crown if it looked better. I am leary about this whole situation and would rahter not take an antibiotic. He said there are no alternatives.

Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thank you,

Julie

Hi Julie, I don't blame you for not wanting to take the antibiotics but if you know you can tolerate the antibiotics the dentist is recommending, I would say take it. Drink a full glass of water with each pill. If there is redness, and given the time you have had a problem with the tooth, I would feel better taking the antibiotics, making sure all possible infection around the gum area is gone prior to having the crown put on what is left of the existing tooth. My experience and what others share with me, tells me your dentist is following a procedure that is necessary to save your tooth and keep your body healthy on the whole. Best to you!

You might think about eating yogurt while on the antibiotics, as it will replace good bacteria needed in your body. Antibiotics kill out bad and good bacteria. You may not have any problem needing the yogurt but if you are prone to yeast infections, it is just a good precaution. (Look on the label. The yogurt you need will say "live bacteria"... some are just tasty little concoctions but of no real value... but if 'live' then it should balance your system out.

I have a difficult time tolerating antibiotics of any kind but your dentist may be willing to give you a few sample pills to make sure you can tolerate them prior to purchasing the prescription. I would ask him/her.

Hi Julie,

The red gums definitely mean there is infection. It's necessary to get the infection cleared up before the crown prep is done. If there is infection present at the time of the crown prep the dentist will have to deal with excessive bleeding and will have difficulty getting a good impression for your crown to be made from. If you want a crown with tight margins, take the antibiotic to make it easier for both you and your dentist.
You may also try using warm salt water rinses while on the antibiotic.
Good luck.