Hi! I'm new here but I've been reading the forums to get some info about my situation.

In september I had a cavity filled, that the dentist said was very deep and sitting very close to the nerve. The cavity itself was very surprising especially since I visit the dentist twice a year. They filled the cavity and it was fine, but then I had some throbbing pain, which they gave me antibiotics for. That went away and I didnt have any more issues.

Two days ago, I noticed a whitish bump under that tooth - kinda like a pimple. I did a salt water rinse and chewed on some raw garlic. There was no pain.

Today I went back to the dentist to have him take a look at it and also get my retainers adjusted. He took another x-ray and said he thinks that it's a fistulous tract and prescribed me penicillin vk. He said the infection will go away but it will still come back and recommended that I do root canal therapy.

Based on the forum here, I've gathered that root canals won't fix the issue and the best option is extraction. What I'm wondering is - do I need to get a second opinion? I'm okay with an extraction as long as the issue can be fixed. What does one do about the gap? What are the pros and cons?

I'm only in my early 30s and really didnt expect this to be happening!

Thanks for all your help!
Lynn