A hard lump still under my gum almost a year after root canal.

[Sonicblur13]

My predicament started November of 2013 when I noticed a large lump underneath my gum on the bottom of my mouth. My dentist X-rayed the area and said I had a deep infection, and said I would need a root canal. Before the root canal I was having severe pain associated with the tooth whenever something cold would touch it, or I would breathe in a certain way.

The dentist prescribed antibiotics for a week before my root canal was started, but I noticed the lump under my gum didn't shrink at all. It was very different from the other infections I had experienced. The Root Canal went fine, and he told me that I would need a crown in about 6 months. I expressed my concerns to him at the time because I was very worried that the gum was still infected. I had no pain with the tooth or the gum, and I still don't have any pain at this time. He x-rayed the tooth and poked around my gums, and said he didn't see anything that indicated a problem.

It's now august, and i've put off the crown a little longer than I should have because I dread to hear what he'll say. The lump is still there, and I can't stop myself from poking at it several times a day. I know that if it was infection that it should have became a gum boil by now surely. Could my dentist have been wrong when he looked at my x-rays that many times? It seems rather unlikely. I guess my question is is it possible for an infection to sit like that for that long without any other indications. I have no fever, and no pain with the tooth at all. Thanks for any advice I receive.

 

[rob wain]

Hi

It's remarkable how many 'lumps and bumps' in the mouth are perfectly normal innocent shapes and aren't a problem at all. This is particularly the case when there is no pain or discomfort.

Often people become aware of a shape that has actually been present for many years and get very concerned by it. I would suggest that you visit the dentist and ask them to check again, show them exactly where you feel the lump is, my hope for you is that the lump is just a normal feature.