Originally Posted by pdne

<<I am so glad to hear that this OS was thorough in his surgery and did not try to talk you into the apico>>

Well, that was actually his initial suggestion and I was the one who actually suggested the extraction first. Then we casually discussed both options. He was a very good professional and did not try to force anything. Though at one point he mentioned that he could even start the apico and once he goes inside, if it looks like it's not going to work, he'll extract the tooth. But I didn't want to take any risk at all and told him to just extract and be done with it.

<<Remember I said the infection may be draining and that's why the tooth didn't hurt??>>

Well, this was a root-canaled tooth so it was dead. I wouldn't have felt anything in the tooth anyway right? But I suppose the draining was why I didn't have pain in the gums. Though after I saw the endodontist this past Saturday and she was poking around the gum area, the next day I woke up with a lot of pain in the "affected area". Maybe she somehow irritated the infected area.

<<It is imperative for you to follow his post op instructions to the "T" and refrain from anything other than a soft nutritious diet for at least a few days because you do not want pain on the other side from over chewing there.
I would expect you to have some discomfort in that area and possibly still in the cheek area for several days due to the inflammation ..... hopefully you won't but you may. Did he put you on an antibiotic? When do you see him again?>>

I actually feel quite fine right now but I suppose maybe the anesthesia hasn't worn off completely yet. And I took some Motrin as well. I'm on Amoxicillin now. Well, I suppose I can just see in 4 months when I'm ready for the implant. I don't see much benefit in going in for a follow-up unless I develop complications over the next few days. But he told me to come in anytime over the next month if there are any issues.


<<Regarding the placement of a dental implant in that area.... this is not something that should be rushed into as this site is going to take months to heal. If the healing goes uneventfully, then it would be wise to have an xray done of this area in 4 months and then again in 6 months. If the implant is placed too soon, it could reignite pain in that same area because it needs time to calm down and become healthy again. Allow your body to grown new bone into the bone graft for several months so that there is no question about the solidity. This also gives adequate time for the sinus to heal and hopefully be free of inflammation. It is ideal to place the implant within one year of the extraction and graft as any longer than that might result in a questionable outcome as the sinus membrane will begin to descend down.>>

Yes the plan is to see him in 4 months to check things and possibly put the implant in then. Then, the implant would be remain there for about 4 months and then finally the tooth can be put on. We discussed the possibility of a sinus lift and he also suggested he might be able to do a sinus bump? where he just taps the sinus up or something. Not really sure on the specifics but this is something we'll investigate in 4 months.

<<I am so impressed with your rapid decision to deal with this as you have. I am hopeful that you will be pain free sooner than later.>>

After all these years, the sheer thought of potentially discovering the source of the pain was too much for me to sit on. I had to act fast. I was practically up all of Sunday night just thinking about this extraction! I really hope the pain goes away and I will definitely post updates here. I hope no one else has to go through what I suffered through for nearly 8 years.