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Multiple Issues and A Lot of Anxiety and Stress

JJones86

JJones86

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 23, 2015
Messages
483
Location
New Mexico, USA
Hi All.

My anxiety and stress levels are through the roof right now.

My two front lower teeth #s 24 and 25 have been having root canal symptoms recently. This all started in mid July 2021. My dentist was not able to get me in for an appointment until October 7, 2021. The left one #24 started first. The tooth became chipped when I was eating. The pain started gradually and intermittent at first and then became worse and worse and constant. Now both teeth have pain with hot and cold liquids and foods, sharp pain with hot and cold, the tooth throbs and pain lingers after hot and cold, a constant toothache and pain with biting and chewing.

I saw my dentist three weeks ago. He examined these and the nearby teeth, took x-rays and testing the teeth with endo ice. Both #24 and #25 were positive testing to the endo ice and positive with the tapping on the teeth.

He said the x-rays look fine. No signs of disease or illness other than the one tooth being chipped. He referred me to the endodontist for a consultation and root canal treatment and sent the x-rays to them.

I saw the endodontist for a consult yesterday Tuesday, November 2, 2021. I’ve seen this doctor before and he knows my history. I had a 3D cone beam CT scan performed at this appointment. I also had regular digital x-rays taken of the teeth in the area. He examined teeth numbers 22, 23, 24 and 25. Tooth #22 was normal to all testing. Tooth #23 actually surprised me and hurt the worst at this time. Tooth #23 the doctor told me had a previous root canal treatment, maybe 2-3 years ago. The tooth tested positive to all tests including tapping, gum probing, biting on cotton and cold testing. He showed me the digital x-ray that showed the tooth has extensive damage to the tooth and the surrounding gums. He diagnosed it with External Tooth Root Resorption. I’ve heard this diagnosis a few times before with different teeth. This is considered an auto-immune disease that only affects the teeth. It’s thought to be caused by trauma which in my case is likely the double jaw surgery I had in 2014 in addition to adult braces. He said the previous root canal treatment on #23 is breaking down and no longer helping the tooth. He said that normally he’d recommend a root canal re-treatment but that in this case it would be likely to fail. The tooth is too fragile and weak and he is also concerned about the surrounding gum tissue. This is why the re-treatment is not recommended. His recommendation is to extract this tooth and to replace it with an implant. The implant would be placed 2-3 months after the extraction giving the surgical site time to heal. I may need a bone graft but they won’t know until my dentist sees me.

So teeth #s 24 and 25 are also a possible cause for concern. These teeth did test positive to the tapping and biting on cotton. I did feel cold pain with these teeth also but he said they were within normal ranges at this time. This seemed odd to me because when my dentist tested those two teeth they hurt me a ton with the cold test. The endodontist said that this may be because tooth #23 is hurting me so bad. After #23 has healed from the extraction, about 2 weeks, he wants to see me again to re-test #24 and #25. These teeth may need root canal treatments but it’s hard to know at this time with #23 hurting so badly right next to the other suspect teeth.

As soon as I got all of this news my anxiety and stress levels got out of control. I felt like I wanted to cry in the dental chair. I think I was just in shock at the time.

Right after the appointment I called my dentist and their next opening for an extraction appointment was a month and a half out. I took the appointment and then called around to a couple of Oral Surgeon offices to get their recommendations and appointment availability. The Oral Surgeon has an appointment on Thursday, November 11, 2021 in the afternoon. They said they could do a consult and treatment in the same day. They could also do my implant later on. I took this appointment and cancelled the other one. This tooth #23 is hurting me so bad that I just can’t wait any longer. The office does offer Nitrous Oxide which I told them I want to use for this appointment. It’s the only way I can get through dental treatment without having a panic attack.

The Endodontist is also very concerned about my gums around this tooth #23. He measured the pockets at the appointment and that really hurt. I had a bone and gum graft on my six lower front teeth about four years ago and this tooth was part of that. He wants me to see my Periodontist again to re-evaluate this tooth and the rest of the bone and gum graft. We’re hoping the grafts are not failing.

I’ve been alternating taking OTC Tylenol and Aleeve. I was advised several years ago to try to avoid Ibuprofen due to a stomach condition called Gastritis. I was so stressed at the Endodontist appointment that I forgot to ask what to take for pain. I called the next day and they are calling in a prescription of Hydrocodone and Ibuprofen 800 mg. They are aware of the stomach issue and said that taking it short term should not cause any issues.

These teeth are just hurting a lot. The pain is keeping me up and waking me at night. During the day it hurts so bad that I'm distracted at work and during regular daily activities. I'm stressed and anxious not knowing what will happen. I still have these potential root canal treatments hanging over my head.

I’m super anxious, stressed and nervous about meeting a new doctor the Oral Surgeon and of the procedure of the extraction and the future procedure of the implant. I’ve had extractions before but it was 8 teeth at once to prepare for my double jaw surgery so I had IV sedation at that time. I think in comparison the nitrous will work for just one tooth. The appointment is supposed to be 1 hour and 15 minutes for the consult and extraction at the same time.

I’ve never had an implant before so the unknown of a new procedure is really freaking me out. I also plan to use the nitrous for this future procedure.

I was told years ago when I had my first root canal treatment that being that I was so young that the root canals would likely have to be re-treated and the teeth would break down over time causing the need for extractions. I just hoped this wasn’t true and never expected it to happen so soon. I’m afraid this is just the beginning of more future extractions to come.

This auto-immune disorder External Tooth Root Resorption is a rare condition and in my case is very aggressive. This is at least my third diagnosis in 2-3 years.

I've attached the x-ray is anyone is curious. If you look at the tooth #23 you can see the old root canal breaking down. Also if you look for the circle in the middle of the tooth that is the Resorption.

I just need some support right now. Thank you for listening to me vent.

JJ
 

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I’m so sorry you’re going through this. It sometimes feels like when you address one issue, others then pile up. and having to wait months on end is most definitely frustrating. Hang in there, step by step they’ll get you on the right path to healing your mouth. You’ve already done the hardest part of showing up. Best of luck, be sure to keep us updated.
 
Hi all.

Just an update. I saw the Endodontist a week ago. He said my tooth #23 has very severe External Tooth Root Resorption. This is the second time this tooth has had this diagnosis. It's very aggressive and a rare condition. He said this tooth will most likely need to be extracted and replaced with an implant. The other teeth he we re-assess two weeks post-op.

He referred me to an Oral Surgeon. I have that appointment today for a consult and extraction in the same appointment. I'm leaving in about an hour. Tooth #23 will likely be extracted today.

I have a lot of questions for the doctor today. I'm thinking that due to this disease being so aggressive and rare that I will likely need all of my teeth extracted soon. I only have 26 teeth and 5 of them supposedly healthy and 5 having problems and toothaches currently.

Wish me luck. I'm super scared and anxious to be meeting a new doctor and having a procedure in the same day.

JJ
 
Best of luck!

I originally had a consult and extraction in the same day but changed it to two separate days because I had so many questions!

Im sure youll do great and definitely keep us posted
 
Hi all.

I'm 2 hours post op now. Tooth #23 has been extracted. Starting to have some pain but still partially numb.

The doctor said the tooth had to be extracted in several pieces because of the damage from the Resorption. Made the procedure more complex. He put dissolvable stitches in. I think the bleeding is mostly done now and I see the clot forming.

Still have to see my Endodontist in a couple of weeks to check teeth #24 and #25 which will probably need root canal treatments. I also need to check with my Periodontist soon to get my gums checked.

I go back to the Oral Surgeon in 1 week for a post op follow up. I can get an implant in 3-4 months.

JJ
 
Hi all.

I've been doing a lot of thinking recently.

So I was first diagnosed with External Tooth Root Resorption an auto-immune disease in 2018. At that time I had a root canal treatment on the tooth. It was successful at the time. A couple of months ago the tooth started hurting again. My dentist referred me to and endodontist and they referred me to an oral surgeon. The tooth had been attacked by the External Resorption again. The tooth was not able to be saved.

I had double jaw Orthognathic surgery in 2014. I had braces on before, during and after the surgery for 2 1/2 years. In preparation for that surgery I had all four wisdom teeth removed and four others due to over crowding. After that I had 26 healthy teeth left. Since then I've had 18 teeth with mysterious root canal symptoms come up over the years. All of these teeth felt better after the root canal treatments for some time. Now I currently have 7 teeth in my mouth causing me pain. Four of these teeth have never had any dental work done on them. The others have all had previous root canal treatments and crowns when needed, within the last 8-9 years.

I'm starting to wonder if all of these teeth had the External Resorption in the early stages when they had root canal treatments. I'm very concerned that these teeth are being attacked a second time just like the tooth I just had extracted.

I'm debating whether or not I need to have root canal treatments on 3 of these teeth very soon. My follow up appointment with the endodontist is this week. Or whether I should just look into getting all a full mouth extraction soon. I have very few 'healthy' teeth left and most of them are causing me a lot of pain right now. I'm thinking I should do the full mouth extraction and just save myself the pain from these teeth that just don't stay healthy no matter what.

They told me that the tooth that was just extracted had damage to the tooth inside and out, damage to the surrounding gums and if it had been left untreated long enough that the Resorption would spread to my jaw.

I asked the oral surgeon about the long term prognosis of all of my teeth. He said that since this External Resorption is so rare and aggressive that it's hard to know for sure. He said that it was very likely that the External Resorption would likely attack the rest of my teeth one by one. This would cause the need for more root canal treatments followed by extractions over time.

My thought was why go through all these future root canal treatments? Why not just extract all the teeth? I'm tired of being in pain and extreme anxiety about my teeth.

Is it my choice to go through with full mouth extractions? Or does the dentist/oral surgeon have to agree with me and recommend it?

I plan on replacing this recently extracted tooth with an implant and would do the same with any others that need to be extracted.

Please let me know what you think.

Thank you.

JJ
 
Hi JJones86,

I am sorry to read about your situation. It must be very difficult to deal with a condition that seems to be unpredictable and causes you further and further treatment, without having any guarantees for the future. I can‘t even imagine how much stress, anxiety, cost and confusion this is causing you and I see how you are trying hard to find a solution that would bring you some amount of control and predictability into the whole picture.

When it comes to the decision of whether to extract or not, I am afraid that you are the only person who can make a decision and this decision is worthy being thought about well. I saw you posted in the Ask a Dentist Section as well and hope you get some guidance. My impression is that nobody can tell the future and nobody can give you guarantees. Your dentist told you that it was very likely that the external resorption would attack other teeth but also that it was hard to tell. I‘m not even sure wether there is a „right“ or „wrong“, it‘s more about the pros and cons of each decision and about what would you like to get out of it. It seems to me that you see mostly the benefit of full extractions now, but it may be a good idea to talk to your dentist about what consequences a full mouth extractions may have, not only immediately, but also the long-term development of your mouth then. What are your options to replace the teeth is another good question to ask. It may be also a good thing to compare this information with an idea about how quickly your teeth would have to go if the resorption went on, in the worst case. There are just so many factors to consider…

All the best wishes
 
Hi JJones86,

I am sorry to read about your situation. It must be very difficult to deal with a condition that seems to be unpredictable and causes you further and further treatment, without having any guarantees for the future. I can‘t even imagine how much stress, anxiety, cost and confusion this is causing you and I see how you are trying hard to find a solution that would bring you some amount of control and predictability into the whole picture.

When it comes to the decision of whether to extract or not, I am afraid that you are the only person who can make a decision and this decision is worthy being thought about well. I saw you posted in the Ask a Dentist Section as well and hope you get some guidance. My impression is that nobody can tell the future and nobody can give you guarantees. Your dentist told you that it was very likely that the external resorption would attack other teeth but also that it was hard to tell. I‘m not even sure wether there is a „right“ or „wrong“, it‘s more about the pros and cons of each decision and about what would you like to get out of it. It seems to me that you see mostly the benefit of full extractions now, but it may be a good idea to talk to your dentist about what consequences a full mouth extractions may have, not only immediately, but also the long-term development of your mouth then. What are your options to replace the teeth is another good question to ask. It may be also a good thing to compare this information with an idea about how quickly your teeth would have to go if the resorption went on, in the worst case. There are just so many factors to consider…

All the best wishes

Thank you for your support.

I'm really split about what to do.

My teeth are causing me physical pain, severe anxiety, stress and the anxiety is causing my IBS stomach issues to act up a lot. It is thought that IBS can be stress related.

I'm also worried about the financial side of this but it's worth it to me if I will be out of pain. It is actually open season for insurance through my work. I'm looking into purchasing a second dental plan to help with whatever issues may come up this year and in the future.

I didn't realize until recently that I've been suffering through episodes of this External Tooth Root Resorption for 10 years now. My doctors had no idea what is was early on. It was just a mysterious disease causing root canal symptoms and pain with normal tooth x-rays. But the teeth always responded to the endodontic testing of cold tests, tapping test, biting test, etc.

JJ
 
Hi, JJ.
I have no helpful info or advice but wanted to send over a few virtual hugs.
This is such a hard thing to deal with and it's scary to think about losing our teeth and/or going through more procedures and having more pain. (I'm in pain too right now.)
The one thing that helps me get through is thinking that one day this will be in the past.
I'm pretty terrified as well about whatever news I'm going to get shortly.

I'm scared to get "put to sleep" for an extraction and even more scared of nitrous as I had a bad reaction when my childhood dentist used that during cavity fillings.

Wishing you the best, JJ.

Remember, "tough times never last, tough people do!"
 
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