Constantly dull pain under tooth in jaw - need advice please

[Freddy]

Hi Guys,

This is in relation to tooth number 29.

Quite a few years back, it was a while ago, I had a root canal done on the tooth. It was a pretty bad job it seems, as not too long after the tooth started causing some issues.

Things got bad in the past 1.5 years when suddenly I started getting dull and deep pains in the tooth. It wasnt when I ate anything of sensitivity, more like a dull and strange pain that was triggered around night time or when I was generally tired. However it was nothing substantial and it didnt cause me anything other than minor inconvenience really.

I eventually saw the dentist about this - she took an x-ray and said that she saw an infection. After two rounds of anti-biotics though, the infection kept coming back. Eventually my dentist said that her theory is that the screw is a little short and that there is space there that could be where an infection is.

Recently two things happened that made things worse. A few months back the filling came out all by itself. Had to go to the dentist to get another one in place. But this seems to have triggered another quite painful bout of infection. This time I can feel it very pronounced and well when I touch the jaw area under the tooth. Still nothing too major, I don't even feel I need much pain killers (I do have a headache though), but now I am scared that the infection might be spreading or something along these lines.

I need some advice from you guys - my current dentist is suggesting I get a re-root canal and then have a crown done on top. She reckons that she needs to go in there, replace the screw with a bigger one, clean the infection (I have no idea how she can do that!!) and then fill the tooth up again. The do a crown.

However she doesn't give me much confidence, and worse she said the tooth might break if she goes in there as she thinks the structure of the tooth might have become too weak. Yikes! She then goes on to say that if this happens then an extraction would be needed.

I am going to be seeing another dentist about this next month - but what are your thoughts on this. Could it be anything more than an infection, am I looking at something quite big here that would require enhanced surgery? I also read online this can lead to cancer in the jaw if left - I'm so worried!

 

[carole]

Hi Freddy, firstly don't panic. Your dentist is quite right in what she told you. I had a rct then it got an infection under the tooth. I had a re-treatment, I went to the local dental hospital as my dentist at the time said it was a bit beyond her skills to complete successfully.

It was done over five appointments and temporary filled after each session except the last one when they placed a permanent filling it the tooth. I was amazed at how much drilling and fiddling about my tooth took considering it was slightly loose. It didn't feel loose to me but they said it was a bit. I had my re-treatment over last year it was finished last July, since then it has been crowned and so far it is fine with no further problems.

There is always a chance that they can fail but I a just pleased that I have managed to keep it for now, it might last a year or years there is no way of telling but it was very much worth the gamble.

There is a chance that they could penetrate the wall of the tooth root but if it is done by a specialist there is not much chance of this happening.

If it isn't re-treated it will not get rid of the infection and you will end up loosing the tooth. I would have a re-treatment if it were me but I would find a specialist as they have microscopes and all sorts of little gadgets that get the job done.

I don't think it can lead to cancer or that it will spread to anywhere else in your mouth or body, mine stayed under the tooth that was effected. I am not medical in any way this is just my opinion as a patient that had an infection under a rct'd tooth.

All the best to you, please try to stop stressing so much, the worry is the worst thing about your treatment.

Good luck and all the best to you

 

[Freddy]

Hi Freddy, firstly don't panic. Your dentist is quite right in what she told you. I had a rct then it got an infection under the tooth. I had a re-treatment, I went to the local dental hospital as my dentist at the time said it was a bit beyond her skills to complete successfully.

It was done over five appointments and temporary filled after each session except the last one when they placed a permanent filling it the tooth. I was amazed at how much drilling and fiddling about my tooth took considering it was slightly loose. It didn't feel loose to me but they said it was a bit. I had my re-treatment over last year it was finished last July, since then it has been crowned and so far it is fine with no further problems.

There is always a chance that they can fail but I a just pleased that I have managed to keep it for now, it might last a year or years there is no way of telling but it was very much worth the gamble.

There is a chance that they could penetrate the wall of the tooth root but if it is done by a specialist there is not much chance of this happening.

If it isn't re-treated it will not get rid of the infection and you will end up loosing the tooth. I would have a re-treatment if it were me but I would find a specialist as they have microscopes and all sorts of little gadgets that get the job done.

I don't think it can lead to cancer or that it will spread to anywhere else in your mouth or body, mine stayed under the tooth that was effected. I am not medical in any way this is just my opinion as a patient that had an infection under a rct'd tooth.

All the best to you, please try to stop stressing so much, the worry is the worst thing about your treatment.

Good luck and all the best to you

I feel much better now!!