Hi willyhacanal,

You should know that this tooth did not become re infected... it's been that way since the first root canal therapy. At this point the infection is not restricted to just the tooth. It is also in the ligament and in the bone surrounding the tooth. The bacteria will continue to spread further into the bone and very possibly to other teeth. The longer you keep this tooth the more bone loss you will develop.

Pain is not a good indicator of the extent of a dental problem. So it is not wise to gauge the severity of the problem based on just your physical discomfort.

It is important to know that the root canal procedure cannot cure an infected tooth and make it healthy again. The procedure is done in an attempt to temporarily reduce the inflammation allowing the person to retain the tooth for an undetermined amount of time. It is not possible to remove the infected nerves from the many hundreds of microscopic canals within the tooth because they are not visible, they are not straight and there is no access to them. These canals contain infected nerve tissue and this is what keeps the tooth infected.

It is never a healthy idea to keep an infected tooth irrelevant of the level of discomfort. Oral infections can easily spread from the mouth to other areas of the body... that occurrence is called a systemic infection.

If you choose to have the tooth extracted, it is best to see an oral surgeon for the removal because the tooth is fragile and the bacteria that has spread to the bone also needs to be cleaned out. General dentists are not as experienced as oral surgeons with removing teeth in this condition.

Hope you find this information helpful.

Bryanna