585 Main St.
Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: (973) 701-7777
Keeping Our Patients Safe

Keeping Our Patients Safe

Dear Friends:
I am excited to announce that we are accepting new patients again. To insure that our patients and staff stay safe myself and the full staff have received the Covid-19 vaccination . We would like to ease your concerns about coming to the office.

Click here for our  new office safety protocol

© All photographs on this site are of Dr. Allyson K. hurley's patients and represent her work and her photography.

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I had a toothache a couple of weeks ago. It went away, but I have since noticed some pus coming from the gum next to that tooth. I’m worried that this tooth will need to be pulled or need a root canal, but I don’t have the money to do that. What’s the best antibiotic to take for an infected tooth.
– Cindy from Delaware

Cindy,
This is a very bad idea, to try to take antibiotics for an infected tooth. Your antibiotics will never get to the source of the infection, which is inside the tooth, because there is no longer any blood flow there – the pulp tissue is dead. So all you will do is help cultivate antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Then, when the infection flares up again, it will be that much harder to get rid of it.

Dentists tend to be sympathetic souls. I would call around and find a dentist who will be compassionate with your financial situation. Don’t look for free care, but look for someone who will work with you and help make it affordable.

This blog is sponsored by NJ top dentist, Dr. Allyson Hurley.

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Hi – Last month, I was a passenger in a car that was involved in an accident. The air bag did not go off. My entire face hit the dashboard very hard. My teeth were hurting, but I couldn’t see any damage. My dentist x-rayed my teeth and didn’t see any damage. She referred me to an endodontist who also did an x-ray. The endodontist said I need a root canal for two teeth that are cracked. I am wondering if I need to get a third opinion and another x-ray. Should a crack in a tooth show up in an x-ray? – Jennifer from Somerville

Jennifer- A crack in a tooth will show up only if the x-ray is taken at the correct angle—the exact angle of the crack. So, it is difficult to see from an x-ray that a tooth is cracked.

The endodontist may not have seen the crack on the x-ray. He likely saw evidence in your tooth that it is cracked.

You may seek another opinion, but it is unlikely that another x-ray will reveal the problem with your teeth.

This blog post is sponsored by New Jersey cosmetic dentists Dr. Allyson Hurley.

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How easy is it to see a cracked tooth from an x-ray? After having two full mouth x-rays from two different dental offices within a month apart, neither set of x-rays detected my cracked tooth. Then I went to another dental office for a third opinion, and that dentist referred me to an Endodontist. After the Endo took x-rays, he told me that my tooth was cracked, and that I needed a root canal immediately. How did the other two dental offices miss seeing the cracked tooth in the x-rays? Is it normal for x-rays and/or dentist to miss identifying cracks in teeth?

Peter from Roswell, NM

Peter,

To answer your questions, it is extremely difficult to distinguish a cracked tooth on an x-ray. If the x-ray is not taken at the precise angle of the crack in the tooth, it will not show up. My belief is that the endodontist didn’t see the crack either. He probably saw evidence that suggested the crack in your tooth.

This has happened to me personally. I had two molars that needed root canal treatments due to cracks developing in them. These cracks did not show up in my x-rays either.

Read more about fractured or cracked teeth are repaired here on my website.

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Dr. Hurley,

About four years ago, I had a root canal. I never had the cap or filling put in, because I lost my job. Since then, I’ve been using a store bought filling. There have been times I’ve gone without the filling for a few days or so, and now it feels like I have an infections. Can you tell me what antibiotics I can take to get rid of the infection? I don’t want to go to the dentist if I don’t have to.

Troy from Lansing

Troy,

Avoid taking antibiotics until you see a dentist. And you really do need to see a dentist for this. It’s possible that you may not need antibiotics for your tooth infection.

When a tooth is extracted, that normally eliminates the entire source of the infection, so it should go away.

Antibiotics are very helpful, but if they are taken excessively, they will breed bacteria. And these bacteria will be resistant to the antibiotics, which will interfere with treatment if not used correctly.

Read more about preventative dental care here on my website.