Was my dentist correct about my abscess?

[anotherday]

Hello. I would like some advice! The other day i visited my dentist due to an abscess. Previously the tooth responsible had a root canal performed by a different dentist. The abscess came back lately and it's not an overly big one. There is an active fistula so there is no real pressure building up and i've never had pain from the abscess, not even before the root canal. I only knew it was there because i looked in the mirror, otherwise i probably wouldn't of known at all. So anyway, i go to the dentist, they had a look at the abscess and put up a previous xray of the area taken during my root canal, he pushed down around my abscess asking if it hurt. He told me some options with the tooth such as i can potentially one day have a second root canal performed, but for now the best thing to do is leave it since it's not dangerous and won't spread. I actively wanted to make sure it won't spread and he confirmed i have nothing to worry about regarding it. Extraction was never mentioned and antibiotics weren't given because there would be little point since my abscess is draining and won't do much for me right now. Everything i read online tells me how dangerous it can be, but my dentist said that mine won't be dangerous and that if he was in my shoes, he'd leave it for now. My next appointment is in 6 months. I obviously trust his opinion over mine since he's obviously qualified and deals with dental issues all the time, so i will stick to his professional opinion on the matter. What i read online cannot equal the training and experience he has on the matter, i know that. I guess i just want to relax my mind by getting opinions of people here and perhaps even a dentist that frequents the forms if possible. Thank you.

 

[carole]

Hi to the forum.

The abscess won't spread. It probably won't cause you pain at the moment if it is draining but sometime in the future and nobody can say it will cause you pain with a flare up.

The rct is now a failure and a re-treatment by a specialist is what is needed at some point. I would want it dealing with sooner rather than later to prevent possible pain and discomfort.

Your options will be either extraction or re-treatment. The abscess will not go away without treatment from a dentist.

I am not a dentist, I can tell you that no treatment by your dentist isn't an option he should encourage you to make. I know because I had this and as I am in the UK I can only tell you how it works here. Where there has been a rct fail it should either be looked at by a specialist and re-treated or extracted. Re-treatment may not work and you may still end up having the tooth extracted. I would say to anyone to try a re-treatment, if you want to try and keep the tooth.

Hopefully a dentist will be along here soon to try and help you confirm the best thing to do. I would not be happy leaving it, I would want to at least be referred to see if it can be re-treated. Nothing drastic will happen to you by leaving it for 6 months but if it flares up it will cause you a lot of pain. It will not spread so don't be alarmed or worried by what I have said but do ask for it to be dealt with now.

 

[comfortdentist]

while a draining abscess isn't urgent I would never advise anyone not to treat it.