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PLEASE HELP, I'm SO scared...

L

Lottie_11

Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
25
I went to the dentist in February this year with pain in a tooth. I was told I'd need a root canal. I was so scared of having the root canal that I opted for an extraction. I then changed my mind and decided that I didn't want to lose a tooth. So I rebooked the root canal. I paid for the treatment but by this time the tooth had stopped hurting so I just never went back.

Fast forward to late August. I had an abcess appear above the tooth that needs the root canal. It did not hurt and there was no swelling of the jaw or signs of infection such as high temperature, there was just this small lump in the gum. I went to the dentist and found it was definately an abcess. I was told I needed the root canal ASAP. I was given antibiotics for five days.

I took the five days worth of abx. The lump disappeared. Days later it reappeared. My root canal is booked for 2ND OCTOBER.

This is from late August. I was told I'd need the root canal asap but can't have it for two weeks at least. I asked if this was safe to wait and was told ''well you've waited since Feb so...''

I'm scared I'm going to get an infection that spreads to the brain or travels to the heart and end up with pericarditis or septic shock or something. I've monitored my vitals and all are normal but I'm worried if there's an unchecked infection just sitting there. I've sourced some more abx but only 5 days worth so that will not last the entire two weeks, plus I don't want to end up with some kind of fungal infection from taking abx so often.

Should I seek emergency help and get the root canal asap, or will it be safe to wait for two weeks despite there being an abcess present?

Thanks so much for any advice I'm super scared about this x:shame::shame::shame::cry::cry:
 
Hi and :welcome: Lottie_11

I am not a health pro, and so can't specifically answer your query, but I didn't want you to think that no one is able to help answer it. What you will find on here is because our dentists that help out also work, it is not often that you will get one on during the day, unless they are from across the pond so to speak.

I think you have gotten yourself into a right little :frantic:pickle over all of this, and I am not happy with the flippant answer your dentist gave you, that was not a nice thing for you to hear. What I will say to you is, that although you have a little wait for this, I do feel that if the dentist felt it was an urgent matter, they would have offered a faster appointment.

I am not sure that taking anti-biotics if you don't know whether or not you have an infection is a good thing, so would really like to see one of our dentists jump in on this if they can please.

When we are in a tizzy, we tend to think of all the bad things that can happen, and not much of the good. And then it spirals into total panic and worry, and makes even a minute of waiting for an answer seem like a lifetime, but hang on in there and hopefully your mind can be put at ease.

Take care.

Kim
 
Hi Lottie_11 I will jump in here, you will not get anything going to your brain or anywhere else from an abscess in your tooth. I know this because this time last year I had an abscess that had been left untreated for 20 months, I ended up having about 7 or 8 courses of antibiotics. I also said I would have my tooth extracted but after talking to the dentist decided to have the root canal.

I did get the rct done and the week before christmas I had the second part of it done, it has been fine ever since and I have felt a lot better.

You will be okay to wait until October, nothing will happen to you infection wise it may be worth asking the dentist for a course of antibiotics for the week before you have it done because it will calm it down enough to get you numb. Don't worry about the rct it is not as bad as a lot of people say.

The dentist will make sure you are numb, he will then use a dental dam, which is a rubber sheet on a frame which will keep the tooth isolated and dry which is important to the success of the rct. It will cover your mouth, but you can swallow and breath as normal, and if necessary they can release the frame if you need a break. There is very little drilling then he will use hand files to clean out the root, next he will use bleach to clean out the canals, lastly he will put a temp filling in and you can leave until part two gets done usually a week later. Part two is much the same as the first. There is no pain and it is a long appointment but it is over before you know it, it goes quite quickly. They usually take an x ray whilst doing the rct to check that all the canals are cleaned out.

I would rather have a rct than a filling, so that should tell you that they are not bad at all.

I wish you Good luck and see the dentist for some antibiotics if the infection flares up again before the app. :)

I just want to add that if the dentist does the rct in one visit this is also okay. Some do it over two app's and some do it in one.
 
Hi Lottie_11,

There is more chance of you winning the lottery twice in a row than getting a brain abscess or pericarditis.
So don't worry about waiting until October. The little lump is called a sinus or gum boil and it will drain any pus that forms which should prevent you from getting and serious pain from it. Never the less it is important to get the treatment done soon to give the tooth the best chance of success.
Carole has given and excellent description of the treatment. If you let the dentist know you are scared I am sure they will pull out all the stops to make the process as easy as possible for you.

Best of luck

Lincoln
 
Hi Lottie_11,

There is more chance of you winning the lottery twice in a row than getting a brain abscess or pericarditis.
So don't worry about waiting until October. The little lump is called a sinus or gum boil and it will drain any pus that forms which should prevent you from getting and serious pain from it. Never the less it is important to get the treatment done soon to give the tooth the best chance of success.
Carole has given and excellent description of the treatment. If you let the dentist know you are scared I am sure they will pull out all the stops to make the process as easy as possible for you.

Best of luck

Lincoln

Just wanted to thank everyone that has replied, I am very grateful and really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I'm just a little confused about the whole urgency of the root canal situation. EVERYTHING I read online says that if there is an abcess then it is an emergency situation and must have RCT or extraction pretty much straight away. For example I read this:

''Pus-filled cavity in root of decaying or dead tooth, formed as bacteria infect and destroy pulp and produce toxins; tooth very tender when tapped, painful to chew on, with a persistent ache or throb, and pain sometimes radiating along side of nose or across other teeth; if left untreated, pus seeps out through root, erodes a canal through adjacent bone, and causes a gumboil, a painful swelling on the gum. Up to this point, toxins are sealed off from rest of body, but if gumboil bursts, releasing foul-tasting pus into mouth and relieving pain, there may be Fever and the lymph glands in neck and face may swell in an effort to neutralise the toxins before they get into general circulation and cause Septicaemia. Because of risk of blood poisoning, consult your doctor if there is no improvement in 12 hours if a gumboil bursts, or if abscess seems to be enlarging rapidly; antibiotics may be prescribed to prevent infection spreading.''

''Can become a serious situation (and most dentists will want to address such an abscess as quickly as possible either with a root canal, an extraction, gum surgery or a combination of all).''

This is why I'm worried, a lot of what I've read describes an abcess as an emergency, some stuff even going as far as to say PO abx may not be enough and I'd need IV abx in A & E, aswell as an urgent max fax review. A lot of the emergenc dentists where I live will only deal with out of hours stuff and if you have a regular dentist they expect you to see them. But when I put my concerns to my dentist she just looked at me and said ''no'' (in response to me asking if I was at risk of sepsis etc). My own dentist haven't been very helpful at all which is why I'm still so worried :(
 
Ok - I am really not a health pro in any way shape or form, nor do I want to be - You really not get anything that you think you will, you need to stop reading up on stuff because that will make your mind go into overdrive - I really don't think you have life/health threatening wise to worry about - you have heard it from a dental health professional - deep breaths you will be fine :)

Kim
 
Ok - I am really not a health pro in any way shape or form, nor do I want to be - You really not get anything that you think you will, you need to stop reading up on stuff because that will make your mind go into overdrive - I really don't think you have life/health threatening wise to worry about - you have heard it from a dental health professional - deep breaths you will be fine :)

Kim

Thank you, sorry if it seems I'm over-reacting :p It's a vicious circle, I get really worried, my heart rate goes up, then I start worrying it's because of the infection...will try to take a few deep breaths as you suggest and calm down a bit. Thanks again
 
Don't you worry about your reactions to things, I do it all the time - it is just that sometimes when you are anxious, and you read too much stuff, it makes things seem a million times worse, and that is not what I like to see. You do have your worries, of course you do, but I would focus on the fact that you have more chances of winning the lottery as Dr Hirst has said - go buy a couple of tickets, and if you do come up trumps on that, you will have the biggest smile on your face :)

Take care hunni, and practice the deep breaths.

Kim
 
Hi I'm back, you have only a couple of weeks and the only way you are going to feel ill with this abscess is the stress and worry you are doing to yourself. This I know as I did it, when I had my abscess it did fill up and then leak into my mouth, it was horrible but as you have seen the dentist and had some antibiotics already you will be fine. I wouldn't read things up on the internet they will frighten you to death, if anyone on here thought you were in any danger you would have them all on here urging you to get to A&E.

You really will be fine until the dentist treats the tooth, drhirst is a dentist and has been for a lot of years and if he thought it was a danger he would say. Any infection isn't good to have but we are tough creatures and the body is capable of fighting this infection.

Let us know how you get on, if you need support or assuring that you will be fine we will be pleased to help. We have all been in your frightened and worried position at some point and we do understand how you feel.

It is a good thing that you are getting the tooth sorted out. :grouphug::grouphug:
 
First of all please don't panic about the root canal.

If there was really something wrong your dentist would have have had you in straight away.

Secondly once you have your root canal you may get anti botics to treat any further infection.
This is what happened to me a few months ago.

The root canal prodeecure itself its really nothing to worry about it. I had my first root canal
prodeecure done in June and like you I was terrified.

The most uncomfortable thing for me was lying there for 40mins with my month open! lol
Yes the mouth and tooth was a bit tender for a couple of days afterwards but it will pass.

It the long run I always thing root canal is better than getting the tooth extracted as I had
a tooth extracted a few years ago and I will never get it done again.

Hope it goes well for you on the 2nd October.
 
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