Root Canal or Wisdom teeth?

[bermywormy]

Hello, I just had a question about my diagnosis that I received today. I will try to keep it as short as possible. The past three days my mouth has been killing me. I was not sure if it was the gums or the teeth, but my whole right side of my mouth was throbbing with severe pain and was visibly swollen. I could not figure out which tooth was the problem, so I went to the dentist. Long story short, they took xrays, did a cold test and tap test. The tooth hurt with the tap test and did not respond at all to the cold test but all the other surrounding teeth were fine. It is the back molar, and last summer I had a cavity in that tooth and got it filled. The dentist suggested based on the two tests I needed a root canal, but did not see it in the X-ray. I also was just recently sick, and they said my wisdom teeth were forming. They also suggested it could be a combination of of the pressures from the two on that molar. They gave me an antibiotic for the pain and swelling. Which does this sound like to you? Should I schedule the root canal or leave it alone? Is it possible that the formation of wisdom teeth and a cold could make my face swell? Any and all answers are appreciated.

 

[Gordon]

Based on the 2 tests and the swelling, it's more likely to be an abscess than a wisdom tooth problem. Any difficulty opening your mouth?

Really hard to say without actually looking at you though!

 

[bermywormy]

No, not really. It's just painful in general.

 

[carole]

Do you sometimes get a funny taste in your mouth?

 

[bermywormy]

No, I have not had that happen.