Infection under a dental putty plug

[prettyevil]

This question is actually about my father, because I don't know what else to do. He had a tooth break and we can't afford to go to the dentist so he bought some dental putty from the grocery store. He put some in and it lasted for four months, no problems from it and stopped him from feeling any pain in the tooth. It finally fell out a couple days ago and so he put in another plug of it last night. Problem is, he apparently didn't get all the debri out of it because now there's an infection.

His jaw is getting swollen and it's very hot. He refuses to go to the hospital to let them break out the putty and medicate the infection. He also won't let me make an emergency dental appointment for him - I tried multiple times today when the offices were all still open. (He's an idiot, I'm well aware of this, but I can't force him as he's a 40 year old man and stupid, but not senile).

He's tried holding an electric tooth brush over the putty to try and break it up but it did nothing (he claims). How can he get this out at home?

[mammo]

Your dad has an infection and him trying to remove the putty is only making things worse!  Tell your dad that you don't want to hear about it any longer, he's a big boy and needs to do the right thing.  Trust me, he will seek help as this infection spreads because he'll be so miserable he'll have no choice!

[prettyevil]

No, he will not seek help if I leave this alone. He's more likely to actually die from it than get any help (He waited over 2 months to go see a doctor after he had a heart attack and that was during my appointment and only because I made him come in with me). And I'd be more than happy to completely ignore him, but he whines and cries at me about how much it hurts every hour or so - thankfully he left me alone through the night so I could sleep.

There has to be something that dissolves or removes that tooth putty crap.

[mammo]

Your dad has a raging infection and he needs antibiotics.  Putting the putty on a tooth wasn't a great idea but putting it in an open wound from the loss of the tooth was a bad idea.  Speaking from experience I can tell you the more YOU fuss about it the less he will care.  Give him the facts...you have a bad infection that can travel to your brain...this is a very dangerous situation for you but you are 40 years old and you know the consequences if you let this go...so I'm not going to bug you about it anymore.  Say this to him in a very calm way, then leave it alone for a couple of days and I guarantee you he will seek help.  Don't ask him anything about it...I know this will be hard but his body will force him to seek help and once it's all up to HIM to take action...he will.  Men can be quirky like this, it's almost like they enjoy all the worry and doting we do when they are sick, but once it's all up to them they come to their senses and seek help.  You can't do anymore than this because he is an adult, so it's worth a try and has worked for me with my husband.  I know you're very concerned for your dad, but I truly think if you back off for a few days he will be asking you to take him for help.  Take care and let us know how your dad is doing.