New to website and looking for answers

[Rsu12]

Hello,I just joined this website and I have a couple questions.
First of all I should give you some background. A while ago I chipped my upper left front tooth and had it "fixed" (I'm not sure what it's called, but it's not crown). Recently, an abscess formed and I had a root canal. My dentist prescribed some antibiotics (amoxicillin). That was about a week ago.
So I was wondering:
1) The abscess has shrunk significantly however, there is still a small bump on my gum. How long should an abscess take to heal with antibiotics?
2) Since I'm under 18 (I'd rather not specify my age), my dentist reccomended that I wait until I'm 18 until I get a crown. I heard that after a root canal a tooth can become brittle and crack easily. Is that something I should be worried about?


Thanks to everyone in advance!

 

[carole]

Hi Rsu12 your age is not an issue on here, I would think that your dentist would want to make sure that your tooth settles before crowning it. Usually about 4 to 6 months, so it is early days yet with the infection only just being treated. I don't know why they would want to wait longer than that on a front tooth. As you don't want to mention how old you are, I have the feeling it is a few years before you are 18, I would get your parents to take you for a second opinion because you don't want the tooth left too long without a crown if that is what is needed.

I am not a dentist so I cannot say what you may need.

Just be careful when biting anything with the tooth as it is weakened, but I would think a dentist is the best person to advice you. They will be able to have a look and tell you what is best. The dentist that said you should wait until you are 18, did he say why? If not could you or your parents ring and ask why?

 

[letsconnect]

Hi Rsu, if it's a front tooth then a crown may not be indicated. It depends on how much tooth substance has been lost. For back teeth, you should always get a crown because of the chewing forces that are exerted on them, but for front teeth, it may actually be better without a crown as long as there's enough tooth substance left (which appears to be the case here).

Not sure though why your dentist said you should get a crown once you're 18 ? Maybe if one of our dentists happens to be reading this, they could explain...

 

[Gordon]

We don't usually do crowns on under 18s because the gums "mature" and change shape around that age.

Since we hide the edges of crowns on front teeth by putting them under the gumline, then they're likely to need replacing very soon after 18, so usually it's best to wait a bit.