Terrified I'll lose another tooth :(

[Yuki]

I tried to face up to my dental fear last year. I bit the bullet, got them all checked, had to have one extracted ( it was at the very back, it was terrifying but I lived thru it). My last root canal was 6 months ago, and I thought I would be done this hell for at least 9 months ( my next cleaning/check up).
Well here I am, with a swelling the size of a pea at the very top of my gums ( where a root would be). I think it's an infection. But then I thought, How? HOW? The dentist JUST root canaled that tooth 6 months ago. I am in no pain, but if I press on it, it seems I can feel it a little bit in the tooth on one side. This is supposed to be a mummified tooth
Of course, like an idiot, I googled. And I had to sort through many horror stories. But I've come to the conclusion that possibly the root canal failed, and I'm so upset. Because everywhere you look, they say "Implant time!"- which horrifies me ( for one things, losing a tooth, going thru so much to get an implant and of course, they are so expensive.) But I fear being a gap-toothed hag even more ;_;. This tooth is in my smile zone.

I'm just having panic attacks. I'm making a dental appointment tomorrow, first thing in the morning. But I hope there are ways to save this tooth. I hope not all teeth that experience root canal failure are doomed. I'm just so distraught and so over teeth.
Has anyone everhad a case of a root canaled tooth being re-retreated? Was it successful? I also read something about apicoectomy. Would that be a possibility?

I'm so freaked out. Any help would be greatly appreciated <3.

 

[AsaGohan]

Eugh. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. Good luck at the dentist.

You'll have to have the dentist look at it to determine if the root canal failed, and what can be done about it. I had a tooth I thought was just going to need a crown, then suddenly in the same appointment ended up that he couldn't do the crown, I had to get it surgically removed 2 days later. I was scared and upset I lost the tooth, but once the surgery was done, I realized that I was happier without the tooth. The tooth had lots of decay and I hated it, so getting it taken out was the best thing. i didn't miss it at all. I opted for the implant route. Yes, it is expensive, but what helped was how long it took to get it done. It was a molar on my right side (tooth 30). I have to wait 6 months between the extraction, implant placement, then crown placement, so it spread out the overall cost for me. Also, Caremore Credit was extremely useful. Now I've had the implant for a few months now and I'm loving it. Losing the tooth wasn't the end of the world for me, but a start of a better looking smile and a healthy mouth.

 

[Yuki]

Well, I hope to any God that will listen that I have more options than just extraction . It's a tooth near my front. I just don't understand why it failed. It was JUST done. The tooth itself doesn't hurt. Even the abcess ( the lump) doesnt hurt at all. The only reason I even found the lump was because I felt it a bit thru my cheek when putting on face cream.

ANnyone else have a successful retreat? Or apicoectomy? It just seems like all overthese forums, failed root canal = tooth yanked.

My appointment is tomorrow and here I am sobbing and shaking. So I get to go in there and look like a freak to him and the staff again

 

[Yuki]

Well, dental appointment is 1:15pm for me . I am so scared that I can't eat. This abcess has actually gotten smaller somehow... still doesn't hurt in the slightest.

I just want to come home with a tooth. Also, try to not cry at the dental office. No one has any empathy for people who cry in dentistry or medicine. It's like they have no souls.

 

[Yuki]

Re: Terrified I'll lose another tooth (Happy Ending)

Hi all

SO I did it. I went in, and this appointment was actually more of just a consultation . I usually start dental appointments off by announcing Im "terrified". lol So I told him the issue, and took some X-Rays, but as he was taking them said he had a suspicion of what it might be because he noticed a very small shadow at my last check up.
The good news, was that I went in their right away as soon as I thought something was off. And I was right; it was an abcsess high up near the root, on the very tooth I suspected ( a previously root canaled tooth). But looking at my X-Ray, the root canal look weledl done with one note; the filling didn't seem to quite make it to the top of a root. So the answer was and Apeoectomy. ( as figured by my googling). He said it was nothing to worry about, and in fact, a lot of people find root canals more arduous. So I will be book into see an endodentist within the next few weeks, and after that, my tooth should be fine and last me a lifetime.

NO EXTRACTION!!!! So relieved.

When googled this stuff, all I saw for pages were ;failed root canal = extraction. But this isn't so. There are choices, and most good modern dentists just want to save teeth.

I know I didnt get a lot of support for this thread (which is just fine), but I found this forum an invaluable asset to my fears. Thank you to everyone who keeps it going <3

 

[Tink]

Hey Yuki -

Good to hear it worked out well for you! Thanks for posting the update, I think it will benefit a lot of people to see.

Sorry, this one passed me by at the time as I was busy hiding under the table for a day or two...in the middle of a retreat of an old root canal myself and it all got a bit too much! But as you now know, yes, there often is things they can do and a failed root canal doesn't have to mean losing the tooth. So glad to hear that was the case for you