Scared root canal won't fix problem - think other tooth is infected.

[spottyladybug45]

Hi,

I was hoping someone could give me some advice.

I have for a very long time (years) experienced a dull ache in the upper right of my jaw which comes and goes. Various dentists have been unable to tell me what's wrong.

I have a deep filling in my first molar and a wisdom tooth impacting (although apparently not damaging) my second molar in the area.

Recently I went to the dentist for a same day appointment due to a nasty burning feeling which felt like it was pulsing in my jaw and pain which I could not figure out the location of. I was told that the only possibility could be the filled molar due to some increased sensitivity (hot and cold). I have recently been feeling in the area and was given an emergency pulpectomy.

For the first day I felt a little better but when I woke up the next morning, but over the day the pain got worse and I started to feel as though my jaw was 'burning' again. I started antibiotic treatment and gradually everything started to feel a bit better and my swollen lymph nodes began to go down. Since finishing the antibiotics I've started to develop chills and a fever and have a horrible taste in mouth. Now that my first molar has no feeling, I am starting to realise that my second molar (fully bony impacted by wisdom) feels painful when I press on it and is sensitive to temperature change. I still taste pus which seems to 'release' every few hours and for a bit the burning pain goes away and then slowly comes back.

I'm worried that my back tooth is infected due to the impacting wisdom causing root trauma and that the root canal (scheduled for early next week) in my first molar is going to be unnecessary and is not the source of infection.

If the back molar is the problem, I suspect it may need extraction rather than root canal as it's roots are curved around the impacting wisdom. I cannot afford an implant and am going to really struggle to afford the root canal.

I am young (24) and terrified of losing my teeth.

Any advice/ support would be really appreciated.

 

[spottyladybug45]

Here is the x-ray

 

[Gordon]

I'm worried that my back tooth is infected due to the impacting wisdom causing root trauma and that the root canal (scheduled for early next week) in my first molar is going to be unnecessary and is not the source of infection.

No, it doesn't work like that.

You've only had a partial root canal treatment done, the source of the infection is still likely to be in the first molar. Completing the root canal should eliminate the infection and things should improve.