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Salt Lake City, UT
A 22-year-old female asked:

I have a sore throat and my jaw hurts and my head hurts. i also had a bad toothache a week ago. do i need a dentist or doctor?

4 doctor answers7 doctors weighed in
Dr. John Van der Werff
Dentistry 41 years experience
Probably both: It sounds like you have a tooth problem and a dentist can be helpful with it. It also sounds like you may have a medical problem also... A physician can help you there. You may also need to see a facial pain specialist if your dentist cannot help you with your jaw pain. Best of luck!
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Dr. James Donley
Dentistry 56 years experience
Dentist: You probably have an abscessed tooth. You need to see a dentist immediately.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Gary Sandler
Dentistry 56 years experience
Perhaps both?: There is no way to know for sure without actually examining you. My guess is that you have both a dental and a medical problem, although it is possible that the two are related. If you still have a toothache start with a dentist, otherwise start with a physician but also see a dentist as soon as possible as the cause of the toothache will probably resurface as pain soon!
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Nishan Odabashian
Endodontics 32 years experience
See Dentist First: People may associate a sore throat w/ a flu/cold or it may be due to a tooth issue. The fact that your jaw hurts, may be a sign that your wisdom tooth is erupting and does not have enough space to erupt. You can get a jaw ache, tooth ache, headache, and tonsillitis from this. So it may be an easier route to see your dentist first. If he/she is unable to see anything they will refer you to your doc.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Last updated Oct 4, 2016

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