Dental infection guide

Dental infection care online in Virginia and West Virginia

Bridge antibiotics and a structured pain plan for a likely tooth abscess while you get to a dentist — not for swelling that affects swallowing, breathing, the eye, or the neck, which needs the emergency department now.

Start online

Start a $49 online review for Dental infection.

A painful tooth infection often starts on a weekend or while you're waiting for a dental appointment. Online review can bridge that gap with antibiotics and a structured, non-opioid pain plan when the infection is still localized — and it's honest about the limit: antibiotics calm the infection, but only a dentist can cure the tooth.

If treatment is appropriate, your physician can send a non-controlled prescription to your pharmacy and provide portal instructions for the next step.

Start this visit See response windows

Quick facts

You must be physically in Virginia and West Virginia at the time of request
Starts at $49
No insurance needed
No app download
Physician review around the clock
Non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy when appropriate
A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
Response windows: 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

Throbbing pain in or around one tooth
Gum swelling or a pimple-like bump near the painful tooth
Pain that is worse with chewing or with hot and cold
A broken tooth or deep cavity that has started to hurt

May fit online care

Adults 18 and older
Pain and swelling stay localized to the tooth and nearby gum
No trouble swallowing or breathing, and no drooling
No swelling under the tongue, toward the eye, or down the neck
You can open your mouth normally and have no high fever with chills

Look for another care setting

Trouble swallowing, drooling, or any trouble breathing — emergency department now
Swelling under the tongue, in the floor of the mouth, toward the eye, or down the neck — emergency department now
Difficulty opening the mouth (trismus)
A fever of 101°F (38.3°C) or higher, or shaking chills

What to have ready

Which tooth hurts and how long it has been hurting
A photo of the area — the outside of your face and the gum near the tooth
Any fever, chills, or trouble opening your mouth
Antibiotic allergies, current medications, and when you can see a dentist

What happens next

Standard

$49

Within 6 hours

Priority

$89

Within 3 hours

Rush

$139

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer the fit questions, and choose the response window you want. If the concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends a secure update after sign-in. When appropriate, non-controlled prescriptions can be sent to your pharmacy, and a basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Your physician

Every visit is personally reviewed by Ankur Fadia, MD — board-certified, cardiology-fellowship-trained, and Alpha Omega Alpha. Recognized with the Act Fast Award for the fastest physician stroke-treatment times (2019–2022) and as the most efficient, highest-rated physician in the HCA LewisGale Alleghany emergency department (2018). Licensed in Virginia and West Virginia — your care is never handed off.

Verify Virginia medical license Verify West Virginia medical license Verify board certification

Will antibiotics cure my tooth infection?

No — and it's important to be honest about that. Antibiotics calm the infection and buy safe time, but the tooth itself needs dental treatment (usually a filling, root canal, or extraction). Every plan through this visit includes seeing a dentist within a few days.

What if I don't have a dentist or can't afford one?

That's okay — you're not alone in that, and it doesn't change your eligibility. Your plan will include lower-cost options such as dental schools and community dental clinics that offer urgent dental treatment.

Can I get something strong for the pain?

The plan uses an alternating schedule of naproxen and acetaminophen, which works remarkably well for dental pain — in studies it outperforms opioid combinations. QuickVisitMD does not prescribe opioids or other controlled medications.

When is a dental infection an emergency?

Trouble swallowing or breathing, drooling, swelling under the tongue or in the floor of the mouth, swelling spreading toward the eye or down the neck, difficulty opening the mouth, or a high fever with shaking chills — any of these means the emergency department now, because the infection may be spreading toward the airway or deeper tissues.