Abscessed tooth...Pull or Root Canal...Need Help

[JasonD]

Hi all,

A couple weeks ago I posted here about having a nasty abscessed tooth that finally ruptured. I still only have about 50% mouth opening capability in the past two weeks. I've been to an oral surgeon and he analyzed x-rays, but the x-rays didn't really pinpoint any abscess or which tooth it may definitively be at all. He was perplexed really.

So, he thinks it is tooth #18 which is the rear bottom left molar. He saw one black dot at the root on one of the x-rays that lead him to believe that. However, his confidence level is only at 75 to 80% that it is definitely that tooth.

He says if he pulls that rear molar, then things will be ok. However, if he has to pull the tooth next to it, the bottom teeth in my mouth could start to shift that way and we could start having problems.

So, the main question I meant to ask him I forgot to ask, which was, can I opt for a root canal as opposed to getting teeth pulled to resolve this bacterial infection that is causing the abscess?

I am having a CT scan done Tuesday to try and get a better resolution display of what is going on with the tooth in question.

If any of you have had a nasty abscess and had it resolved by either method, please let me know your experiences.

Thank you in advance.

Jason

 

[Thephilsblogbar]

I had a dental abscess which was the same tooth where I had my root canal done 10 years earlier which was back in 2006, had my re-root canal done in 2016 after having abscess in the same place in 2015.

I kept the tooth and went for the treatment, I never asked whether it was a vital tooth if I had out would it cause me problems,.

I had a tooth removed years ago, because at the time it was an emergecy and the dentist I saw wanted private prices even though I attend a nhs dentist (the person I saw was not my normal dentist)

For now 2016 to current not return of the abscess, I go every three months to dentist because of my worries, plaque build up and not because I have had fillings in the past.

 

[saralou35]

Once you find out what tooth it is id def try root canal first! I had one 8 years ago and only now it’s failed as had tooth crowned and it’s had problems for last two months! So def worth trying even if it only saves tooth for 5-10yrs! Some root canal teeth last a lifetime!

 

[jadon77]

Save the tooth if can.

 

[Animalhouse]

I agree with others that you should try to save the tooth if you can. Nothing is as good as natural teeth. At the same time, they are expensive so I would definitely discuss this with your dentist and ask what the expected success rate would be for you.

 

[mikeysgirl1]

So I have recently underwent a root canal and a lot of fillings. I was terrified to do the root canal. But in all honesty I would have a root canal over a really deep filling any day of the week. The worst part is the amount of time in the chair, and your jaw may hurt from holding it open. NO PAIN AT ALL .Your choice of either pulling it or trying the rc comes down to a few things. First of all, do you trust your dentist? if you do then that means you feel he understands your fears and will ultimately treat you accordingly. Second of all the $ involved. Root Canals are expensive, dental coverage helps. Third if you take away the anxiety of it, the root canal will hopefully save the tooth and there will be no more pain (usually). Most important if you decide the rc is too much and you pull the tooth then don't beat yourself up for it. Be good to yourself ,

 

[JasonD]

First of all, thank you to all who have replied. I really appreciate all of your experiences and input.

After having stopped for just a minute and thought about things, I am going to schedule an appt today with a highly regarded endodontist and go from there. The pain that the abscessed tooth can bring can panic you into making rush decisions that do not need to be rushed given this is dental health we are talking about. I actually thought more about my experience with the oral surgeon the other day, and something popped out as a big red flag.

When the receptionist originally called to confirm my oral surgeon appt, she had said "you need a driver present for the whole surgery", this and that and I was like "whoah"...I haven't even talked with you all let alone discussed what is going on and you want to pull a molar? She then reconfigured the pull to be a consultation. When I arrived, I had my x-rays with me. When I got back in the consultation room, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THE SURGEON HAD EVEN SEEN THE X-RAYS! So, they had scheduled a pull without even seeing the x-rays first, and even then after the fact the surgeon was only 75% sure which tooth it might be.

So, having said all of that, my blink was that these people were rushing things. The consultation only lasted about 10 mins and I don't think they get much money for this and i felt like I was expedited on out of the office.

I'll call the endodontist today and see what they can do for me, and possibly get more x-rays done to try and pinpoint exactly which tooth is the issue.

Thanks again everyone I'll keep you all updated. Have a great day.

Take care.

 

[Enarete]

Hi JasonD,

glad to read that you could reflect about the visit and found a solution you feel happy with. Having to decide between removing a tooth or doing a root canal is a very difficult decisions, but a good dentist who takes you seriously and uses his best efforts is the basis of everything. It sounds like this wasn't the case at your last visit.

Good luck with the endodontist, may he be able to save your tooth. Look forward to read how you got on.

 

[kclady36]

I once made a mistake and tried to suffer threw pain and the abcess was so bad my whole face swelled. I had a bad toothacke recent and I went to the dentest asap. it was infected and got on antibiotics. I could not afford CROWN and a root canal so I opted to have the tooth extracted.