Can anyone ease my mind?

[WishForCourage]

I posted about a month ago about my root canal not healing. I had the root canal completed a month ago and everything was fine.....until now. The pain is back. Its hurting pretty bad and my dentist only sees patients on Wednesdays for emergencies. I called an emergency dentist today but they cant see me until tomorrow morning which eases my anxiety about being in pain.

This tooth has been cleaned out 3 times and I've had a course of antibiotics but the infection persists. I'm getting it pulled tomorrow because I just want it out!!

Please tell me that extraction will finally get rid of the infection......

Thank you!!

 

[Niall Neeson]

Hi WishForCourage,

That’s a real pity that the root canal treatment has not worked out for you. If you and the dentist are both confident that the pain is related to this tooth then yes, it will remove the source of the infection and allow the body to heal.

Root canal treatment is an excellent option and the vast majority of times it will be successful. Sometimes though there can be cracks or additional canals or crevices that it’s impossible for the dentist to see and these can act as sources for persistent problems. This is why removing the tooth should sort out your problems.

All the best with it.

Niall

 

[MountainMama]

Not a dentist and Niall already explained but just wanted to add my experience to help ease your mind.

I have had two failed root canals. One was a molar and was redone twice also. Extraction completely took away the pain. The second one was my front upper tooth. It had died from a childhood injury and I had an extremely large abscess (didn’t even know as there was no pain until it was huge). Root canal didn’t get rid of the infection. I had pain in the nerve running alongside my nose it was so bad. I had an apicoectomy and that still didn’t get rid of the infection. So a year later, I finally broke down and had the tooth extracted and an implant put in. I was so nervous to get an implant in at the same time because I was worried the infection would cause it to fail. My surgeon assured me that when they extract they also clean out the socket and when the source of the infection is gone (the tooth), your gums heal. I could tell a difference within a week. I felt better and had more energy. It was been six months now and all x rays show healthy gums!

 

[Niall Neeson]

Not a dentist and Niall already explained but just wanted to add my experience to help ease your mind.

I have had two failed root canals. One was a molar and was redone twice also. Extraction completely took away the pain. The second one was my front upper tooth. It had died from a childhood injury and I had an extremely large abscess (didn’t even know as there was no pain until it was huge). Root canal didn’t get rid of the infection. I had pain in the nerve running alongside my nose it was so bad. I had an apicoectomy and that still didn’t get rid of the infection. So a year later, I finally broke down and had the tooth extracted and an implant put in. I was so nervous to get an implant in at the same time because I was worried the infection would cause it to fail. My surgeon assured me that when they extract they also clean out the socket and when the source of the infection is gone (the tooth), your gums heal. I could tell a difference within a week. I felt better and had more energy. It was been six months now and all x rays show healthy gums!

Thanks for sharing your experience to back things up MountainMama. It’s always great for people to hear from others who have had similar issues.

 

[WishForCourage]

Thank you both for your replies! I chickened out of going to the emergency dentist I would rather wait and see my dentist. The pain has lessened but still feel short stabbing pains in my temple. Thank you for sharing your experience MountainMama. I think my infection has been there for years. It was discovered on a routine dental exam. It was a huge infection! I hadn't thought it bothered me until I realized that this infection has been giving me sinus issues since November. I too have the pain along my nose and my cheek. I'm also stuffy. Every time after the tooth was cleaned out I felt better for a while and then the pain starts and the sinus issue is back. I definitely don't want an apicoectomy!! I want this tooth gone! Thank you so much for putting me at ease!

 

[MountainMama]

Thank you both for your replies! I chickened out of going to the emergency dentist I would rather wait and see my dentist. The pain has lessened but still feel short stabbing pains in my temple. Thank you for sharing your experience MountainMama. I think my infection has been there for years. It was discovered on a routine dental exam. It was a huge infection! I hadn't thought it bothered me until I realized that this infection has been giving me sinus issues since November. I too have the pain along my nose and my cheek. I'm also stuffy. Every time after the tooth was cleaned out I felt better for a while and then the pain starts and the sinus issue is back. I definitely don't want an apicoectomy!! I want this tooth gone! Thank you so much for putting me at ease!

Mine was there for at least two years, according to the endodontist. She said that estimate was based on the size. It was a tricky one because it was on my front tooth but tunneled backwards rather than up, so it didn’t show on the yearly x rays apparently until it got big enough to erode the bone above the tooth as well. It never hurt until it was right above the root. I also had sinus issues and pain along my nose and in my cheek. My tooth had already died over the years apparently. I never knew. If I could do it over, I wouldn’t have had the apicoectomy, but at the time I was desperate not to lose my front tooth.

 

[WishForCourage]

Thank you again, MountainMama! I go in today at 4. I guess she will xray and I'm sure it will still show the infection. I also had alot of bone loss due to the infection. If it does get extracted I'm not sure what type of replacement to get. It's my 2nd premolar so it wont be as noticeable that I'm missing a tooth. I guess when Covid calms down and my dentist reopens for normal business we can discuss my options for replacement. I'm not sure if I can afford an implant at this time

 

[MountainMama]

Thank you again, MountainMama! I go in today at 4. I guess she will xray and I'm sure it will still show the infection. I also had alot of bone loss due to the infection. If it does get extracted I'm not sure what type of replacement to get. It's my 2nd premolar so it wont be as noticeable that I'm missing a tooth. I guess when Covid calms down and my dentist reopens for normal business we can discuss my options for replacement. I'm not sure if I can afford an implant at this time

Good luck! Implants are expensive but my experience was that I paid in installments over the 8 months it took to do the extraction, bone graft and implant. That helped a lot. I am missing four premolars that were extracted for braces and you can’t even tell.

 

[WishForCourage]

I still have my tooth! Comparing xrays from before the root canal to today the infection has gotten a lot smaller. The dentist said it takes time for infections to completely go away. She gave me the number of an endo and said I could go have it looked at but I'm going to wait. If pain gets really bad then I will go.

 

[MountainMama]

I still have my tooth! Comparing xrays from before the root canal to today the infection has gotten a lot smaller. The dentist said it takes time for infections to completely go away. She gave me the number of an endo and said I could go have it looked at but I'm going to wait. If pain gets really bad then I will go.

Great news! Hopefully it will continue to heal and your immune system will take care of the rest of the infection.

 

[loopylass]

Hi been reading your story and wonder how you’re doing?