I have been suffering severe pain on the right hand side of my face/ jaw on and off since the end of December. At worst it’s totally debilitating can’t eat or sleep and can’t focus on anything. I have been to the dentist 3 times so far in mid January he prescribed amoxycilin which did very little. I was then waiting for an emergency appointment for 2 weeks when I finally got in for an ex-ray they weren’t able to read it for another week and a half as the x-ray machine had broke. I finally got in for another appointment last wednesday to get the results of my x-ray and start treatment. As I had expected and been telling my dentist I have an abscess below a root canal tooth, this tooth had always felt weird and sensitive and have been telling my dentist this for years. He told me he doesn’t think all the pain I have been experiencing is from this abscess as the nerve should be dead yet I feel it emanates from here although when its severe the whole side of my jaw is intensely throbbing top and bottom. Basically he has started to remove deep filled fillings on my back right molars and put in a new treatment that builds a layer of false tooth between the nerve and filling of a deeply filled tooth. He said he would ask me in a month if I would like to have the abscessed root canal re done or pulled. In the mean time I am still in acute pain that is stopping me sleeping at times. This can be better for a day or so and then come on more severe and debilitating again. I feel really drained and generally quite unwell as its been almost two months of suffering with this. I wanted to ask two questions. Has any one got advice on whether I should pull or try and save the root canal tooth? Has anyone experienced the same thing? I have read some scary stuff about abscess potentially causing auto immune diseases (I already have ulcerative colitis which Is an AI disease) Also should I go see a second dentist as mine seems to be very slow and even after diagnosis he wants me to wait a month after already suffering for two months! I have managed to keep it at bay some of the time with garlic capsules, salt water and tea tree mouth washes, clove oil and lots of strong pain killers. I am now in the more intense agonising pain and even pain killers don’t help, I believe it is the abscess causing this agony I just feel really let down by my dentist and Im not sure what to do next... need some relief please help!
Hi, you may well need to be on antibiotics in order to take down the infection and inflammation of the abscess, then I would suggest finding a dentist that will actually either redo the root canal job, or pull the tooth all in all. Your problem is not that rare: a blotched root canal can be the cause of a lot of grief and pain and it is more common than you think. However there is no need for you to wait for so long, a course of antibiotic will go from a week to ten days, then the dentist can do his/her job. A month or two is really not acceptable, especially since it is damaging to your jaw bone, your mouth health -and- your liver health to have an ongoing infection for so long.
Good luck!
I GOT THE SAME PROBLEM,, A RECENT ROUTECANAL 1 YEAR LATER A LIITLE WHITE SPOT ON GUM ,, IT STARTS BUILDING UP PRESSURE [ ITS PUS ,, I BREAK IT , IT BLEEDS AND GOES DOWN , I GARGLE WITH OREGANO OIL ALSO ,,KILLS BACTERIA ,, BUT NOT ABCESS , DENTIST WONT ADMIT ITS THE ROUTE , HE SAYS ITS PERIO ISSUE THATS BULL S ,, THE IMMUNE SYS. IS ATTCTED BY THE INFECTION ,, BE COOL
honestly in your case not mine ,,,,although i just might pull the two teeth with the pus pimple below the gum ,,, trying every possible herbs rinses ,, u name it ,,, gum gets tender swollen the i break gum press on it then goes away and then 1 week its back , tightness occurs in lower jaw ,, but thank god no severe pain and misery your going through ,, either pul the bum or cut and clean infection ,, my dentist wants to pull and bridge ,, it works but costs , and losing more real teeth sucks ,,
I have had the same promblem for a bout a month now. Im only 11 years old. My dentist never put a crown on my tooth so i think its his fault. He said that i wouldn't need a crown... i don't know why. I start school next wendesday any suggestions for the pain. Thank you!
11 years old u need a qualified dentist sweetie,,, your way too young for caps and route canals ,, anyway pain means problem , swollen means also problem , so does stiffness , and white pus spot on the gum also means infection ,,, tell your parents
Thank you for the advice, and my parents already know. When i got my routecanal i was 9 it didn't start hurting until recently. My gums are really swollen, and i have a sore on my cheek and above my gums. Do you know what i should do?
U SHOULD SCREAM AT YOUR PARENTS AND TELL THEM YOU NEED DENIST AND QUICK,,, PLEASE
Ok im going to take your suggestion... but my mom called today and she asked them if i could get some medicine so they have to do a check- up and see whats wrong
SIMPLE X RAY WILL TELL THEM IF SOMETHING IS WRONG ,, IF ITS INFECTED THEY WILL RE DO THE ROUTE CANAL OVER ,,OR JUST PULL IT THEN INFECTION USUALLY DIES
sorry its too late to reply but i just joined ........
you just go to get your teeth saved. Go for re rct and also do saline water gargles 5-7times aday
SALT WATER HELPS ,, BUT DOES NOT KILL INFECTION,,, IF TOOTH IS FAR GONE OR ROUTE IS CRACKED ITS GOTTA COME OUT ,,, YOU KEEP SWALLOWING PUS IT GOES IN STOMACH AND BLOOD
yes pus can be swallon in that case but i am saying if kezza can't get other help then this can be done...........
Just started on discussion after looking for some advice .have very same symptoms..pain on right side and problems with bottom back tooth..on pain killers all week..went to dentist who referred me.. I need root canal treatment as abscess at end of root..also needs a crown once treatment done..total cost approx €1600. There is no guanantee it will work and if not, tooth will have to be pulled which will mean total waste of money.
Have to decide whether to go with treatment or get tooth pulled. From talking to two friends who got root canal done, both said to get tooth pulled as their teeth still cause problems after root canal completed.
Very close to making decision on getting tooth pulled but nervous about the side effects of this in relation to losing bone etc..the effects on the upper tooth etc etc..
I recommend you skip the dentist and visit a Periodontist. I had a tooth that was crowned and root canaled and for years when I would go in for my teeth cleaning, I would always mention this tooth that was bothering me. Everytime I was told the same thing, the tooth has been root canaled and the x-rays never showed anything. I finally went to a Periodontist as a last resort. By the time I went to see him, I was in so much pain and frustrated that this had gone on so long being told there's no reason that tooth should be hurting. The Periodontist did the circular CT scan and it showed I had abcess under the root canal. The bottom line on that tooth was too have that tooth that I had spent so much money on (crown, root canal) now had to be taken out and replaced with an implant. That was last year. Fast forward to this year - I have a tooth that starts aching, then throbbing, and it too is unbearable. I called my regular dentist, and said I know that tooth is crowned, can you verify if it has been root canaled. I knew the answer was going to yes. They said my previous x-ray looked fine, maybe I was just clinching my teeth. Yeah, No. So today, I was back at the Peridontist. My tooth was throbbing so back, he had to numb it up just so we could get through the CT scan and discuss the options. Turns out my crown and root canaled tooth had an abcess below it the size of a grape. He said if I had waited another week that abcess was so close to the nerve, if it had gotten to the nerve, I could have lost the feeling to that side of my face. Sad thing too, the infection was so bad, with my previous implant, he used the drill to get my tooth out. This one was so bad, he gave it a couple of tugs and the tooth came right out, so it already loose. I wish you luck, I know how you feel. Sometimes you feel you are just not being heard or they don't believe you because after all the tooth HAS been root canaled. I kept hearing that over and over. Good Luck! and go see a Periodontist - that's their specialty.
Hi. It's relieving to know that I am not alone in this kind of problem, very similar. In fact I am suffering of unbearable pain now which started 2 days ago. Didn't go to work since. I went to a periodontist yesterday and found out I have infection in the tooth with root canal. He prescribed amox and pain reliever. On my second day and no relief yet. I was advised to have a dental bridge after pain subsides. Estimate is almost $4thou and it could go higher.
May I ask advise from good readers please. Can I have my tooth extracted after the pain and infection gone then 3 months after I will have the dental bridge. I don't have dental insurance and can't afford the cost so my plan is to have the bridge done in my country because it's 80% less. The periodontist told me after extraction, bridge should be done in a week . Is is true? Please help. Thanks for your time.
I am 49years old. I do not take antibiotics for health reasons, even for oral surgury. I had a root canal when I was while in my teens. I have lots, I have bad teeth with no enamel on them due to bad genetics. In my 30's it went bad, got an absess at the end of the root ( molar) near the bone. Turned into bone infection, very painful, I know what you are going through. Had the root canal re done, they said it may come back. It did, twice. The reason is, the inside of the tooth has bumps inside it and they can not really clean it all the way out. That is the way they described it. Stuff keeps trying to ooze out the end of the root into my bone. I did not want the tooth pulled. So they drilled a hole into the gums above the tooth, snipped off the end of the root so the stuff could come out of the root easier. My body has to absorb it. When it returns, I eat tons of raw garlic, ( it is an antibacterial, kills infection) but it has to be raw. Take clove oil, a few drops in water, drink sevaral tablespoons of applecider vinigar every day in water with lemon. Also take 5 grams of vitamin C every day. Along with eating very well.
The infection this deep takes a while to go away even with antibiotics, even longer with nutrition. Rubbing pure clove oil on your gums and garlic helps, but does not take all the pain away. I have one right now again, years later and have decreased the swolen pocket in my gum a lot, in 2 weeks with lots of garlic, clove oil, vinigar and I have bumped up my vitamin C to 5 grams (powdered) a day. It is working.
When my imune system gets low stuff starts to happen, so now I take lots of vitamin C and have cleaned up my nutrition. I have to be on top of eating well to keep things like this at bay. I would say, ask them if they can clip off the tip of the root of the tooth, so it an empty, take antibiotics if you can stomach them, but then you will need to work on building your imunse system, which really helps if it is strong in these kinds of cases.
Good luck.
Hello - so sorry for your pain! I have had a similar situation. I had a root canal done and that went fine. Then my tooth (back molar) back corner cracked (gum side not the cheek side)and was sticking out into the side of my tongue . I couldn't get into my dentist for a week (he was on holidays). Wow! More painful than prior to the root canal. So I went to a dental clinic (huge mistake). What they did there was they removed the back corner and then filled it all in with more filling. Yes- filled it all with filling. Well, then came the access infection. Antibiotics along with major stomach upset. Now I have a little hole between the older filling (but still new) & the newer filling done to fill in the back corner. My regular dentist office suggested to go back and as they should fix it. I told them not a chance are they going near my mouth!!! The root canal was $1,400. I went to a specialist. I didn't know I wouldn't even get a filling done with the procedure- filling was another $380 . & then the last another $350.) So, my now $2,000 is going to be pulled. I'm done with it!! I didn't even get to the cap (which is another $1,000.) Oh BTW- did I tell you this ALL happened over 2 months!!! The difference between your dentist and mine is that mine does listen to me. I see him next week and I'm sure he will be upset over the work the dentist at the clinic did. I suggest you do get a new dentist that addresses your concerns . You are paying for his mortgage. Remember you are paying his salary!!! Check your local Doctors/Dentist rating sites (by patients) or ask a friend or Co worker if they could recommend one. I wish you the best of luck!!!
Someone who truly understands....
OMG! I'm amazed to read all of this. What horror stories and I'm in the same boat!
In fact, I have a dental appt in 2 hours. My story is long but I'll try to get to the point: I have bruxitis so they say...(grind my teeth at night). Bc of this I was damaging nerves in my teeth and was told (due to pain) that I had to have one root canal after the other. Well, it was either due to pain for one tooth or due to infection for the others (lost count of how many -- maybe 3-5 total). On one of these rc is a huge abscess. Never casued me pain but now feel pressure in that area. It's been getting more and more tender when I press on cheek (upper left) and it's tender when I put toothbrush in that area over the last year. My insurance (blue cross) denied covearge of my dentist's treatment plan -- including the mouthguard! But my concern now is the spreading of this infection, I feel pressure now in the same spot in the back of my head and my body just does not feel right. I'm very healthy otherwise, I excersise eat well and take good care of myself. My relationships with dentists have just been horrible since I was a child and it's difficult to find someone who listens, doesn't push their agenda along with an insurance provider that will cover the needed costs. It's all very sad...
I feel for all of you, and I just wanted to throw in my support and let you know you're not by yourselves. I know I thought I was.
best wishes to all.
I hvae much the same problem as all of you
The latest being an infected root where a crown was situated ..the crown was always badly fitted and so the bite was wrong and this made the crown unstable so it kept coming out ..this Autumn yet agin out it came and I was feeling pain so I went along to the dentist to be told the root was cracked and I had an infection ..the crown can not go back in
the Detist proceeded to pack it with material of some sort to stop me getting food particles in it etc ... I asked " what about the Infection" he said " that will go when the root comes out " but he wasn't taking it out
The sad thing is that all the crowns that have been fitted by this dentist have all gone and I am left with a gap beyond this one and I have a lot of bone loss
For this reason I am loath to go and have this root out although I have to ( it should have been removed insted of being packed ) I have made an appointment with an NHS dentist for the 19th january do you think some bone can be protected just in cas I can afford an Implant at a later date ..its too late for the rest of the gum where those previous crowns were but any advise gratefully accepted ..I am so scared of this latest procedure
I never wished to have dentures which was why I was taking the dentists advice when he suggested crowns now with this gap I feel it ight be the only way to move forward ...can dentures be fitted (if one can't afford an implant or there is not enough bone for them ) with a clip/wire around/across bottom 4 front teeth to the other side so that due to lack of gum they wouldn't be loose
I'm desperate to get the Right advice it really is affecting my confidence
Many Thanks - C