I have had my share of tooth infections and this is what I have learned so far:
1) Once it’s abscessed nothing works but a root canal or extraction
2) early on, regular dosed antibiotics do nothing.
There are options – loading doses and topical
Loading Dosing
What can we do safely instead? – Can be learnt from treatment of Sexually transmitted diseases – loading doses -they safely give a big dose once for STD
Safe STD doses used as “loading doses” include:
Amoxicillin 3.0 gm ( yes six 500 mg caps)
azithromycin 1-2 gms (4-8 caps of 250 mg)
Cefixime 800 mg (two 400 mg tabs)
the pain will remit within hours and usual doses may be given subsequent along with a dentist referral to image for abscess.
Topical Treatment
Infection of tooth is very close to the skin and localized so topical treatment is possible. I use something called Pennsaid – it has Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in it. It is a horse linament that penetrates so well it can be tasted within minutes of skin application. It is combined with Voltaren (diclofenac) to be a topical anti-infammatory especially for knees
I use a teaspoon of Pennsaid with contents of an antibiotic capsule added to it – soaked on a wisp of cotton ball and applied to sore gum area until it goes numb (5-10+ minutes) – changing cotton wisp every 5 minutes – may need to treat each side of tooth so time adds up
Antibiotic I have used:
Clindamycin 300 mg (tastes gross) – open capsule into 5 mls = 1 teaspoon Pennsaid and stir in small cup or egg holder –
Neomycin – used to use for bacterial overgrowth syndrome and had some 500 mg capsules made up by a compounding pharmacy – put 500 mg in and again 1 teaspoon of Pennsaid
(you could get one capsule of 500 mg made up to show you what 500 mg looks like and have the rest as a powder sticking to same amount on a knife end dropped in to 5 mls Penssaid)
Suggestion – use only a cotton wisp and don’t apply too much liquid to it as it is vile dripping down your throat. Change every 5 minutes – it is not how much you apply, it is how long you apply (changing every 5 minutes)
Only problem being, after a successful treatment, is getting your dentist to believe it wasn’t just cracked… I had controlled infection within 5 days but unfortunately Xray show bone loss by roots so abscessed and schedule for pull as had prior root canal and too big for an apical :(