Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi chrisc,

I am in the dental field and can offer you some information here. I am going to repost your questions and answer you in bold type. Thanks for posting the xrays!!

<<I've had several autoimmune markers come up in my blood and I'm wondering if my root canal tooth is involved in it. I'm attaching a pan and close up of the root canal tooth.>>

WHEN YOUR BLOOD INDICATES AUTOIMMUNE PROBLEMS THAT MEANS THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK AT EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR DIET, LIFESTYLE, MEDICATIONS AND ENVIRONMENT AS ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS. GENERALLY OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM ACTS UP WHEN WE CHRONICALLY BOMBARD IT WITH IRRITANTS AS ANYTHING CHRONIC CAN LEAD TO A CUMULATIVE AFFECT IN OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. ANOTHER ANALOGY IS CALLED THE BUCKET THEORY. IF YOU SLOWLY FILL A BUCKET WITH WATER YOU EVENTUALLY REACH THE RIM OF THE BUCKET...KEEP FILLING IT AND THE WATER SPILLS OVER AND THE BUCKET CONTINUES TO REMAIN FULL. OUR IMMUNE WORKS SIMILARLY TO THAT BUCKET.

<<1) Does tooth #11 which is showing some possible infection related to my autoimmune issues or is there no connection.>>

YES THE XRAYS INDICATE NEGATIVE PATHOLOGY GOING ON IN THE BONE WHICH IS POSSIBLY IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO YOUR SINUS. IN YOUR ANATOMY IF THE PATHOLOGY HAS NOT INVADED THE SINUS MEMBRANE IT PROBABLY WILL EVENTUALLY. ANY INFECTION CAN BE RELATED TO ACQUIRING AN AUTO IMMUNE DISORDER. ORAL INFECTIONS ARE NOT EXCEPTION TO THAT FACT. HERE IS A BRIEF ARTICLE..

<<2) Should I just leave #11 as is or>>
a) Perform Apicoectomy
b) Extract

TO LEAVE TOOTH #11 ALONE OR TO HAVE IT RE TREATED WITH ANOTHER RC PROCEDURE OR TO HAVE AN APICOECTOMY MEANS TO KEEP THE INFECTION AS THE TOOTH WILL BE THE SOURCE OF THE CHRONIC INFECTION. IRRELEVANT OF HOW MANY TIMES THE RC PROCEDURE IS DONE, IRRELEVANT OF HOW MANY TIMES THE THE APICO IS DONE... IRRELEVANT OF HOW WELL EITHER OF THOSE PROCEDURES ARE DONE... THE TOOTH WILL REMAIN INFECTED BECAUSE THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE HUNDREDS OF CURVY MICROSCOPIC CANALS CALLED DENTIN TUBULES THAT ARE IN THE TOOTH. THESE CANALS HARBOR NECROTIC AND OFTEN GANGRENOUS NERVE TISSUE. THIS BACTERIA IS NOT SELF LIMITING TO JUST THE TOOTH AS EVIDENCED IN THE PATHOLOGY INDICATED ON YOUR XRAYS.

<<3) If I do extract, I want to get an implant (Zirconium instead of titanium).
a) Should I wait for the bone to heal or implant immediately.>>

I WOULD SUGGEST THAT YOU NOT HAVE AN IMMEDIATE IMPLANT AFTER THE EXTRACTION BECAUSE THE BONE IS OBVIOUSLY NOT HEALTHY WHICH MEANS THE IMPLANT WOULD NOT ONLY BE COMPROMISED BUT YOU COULD END UP WITH A SECONDARY INFECTION. IT WOULD BE BEST TO ALLOW THE AREA TO HEAL FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, HAVING IT MONITORED WITH ONE SINGLE PERIAPICAL XRAY AT MONTHLY INTERVALS TO BE SURE THAT THERE IS NO RESIDUAL INFECTION AND IT IS HEALING WELL.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU HAVE AN ORAL SURGEON REMOVE THIS TOOTH AND NOT A GENERAL DENTIST... UNLESS THAT GD HAS HAD ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN ORAL SURGERY AND IS WELL EXPERIENCED IN IT. WHOMEVER YOU SEE FOR THE EXTRACTION BE SURE TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU WANT THE PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT AND ALL NECROTIC TISSUE AND BONE REMOVED AT THE TIME OF THE EXTRACTION. I KNOW IT SOUNDS STUPID TO HAVE TO BE THE ONE TO TELL THE DENTIST TO DO THIS BUT UNFORTUNATELY SOME ARE A BIT LAX ABOUT IT. LEAVING ANY OF THIS BEHIND WILL PREVENT THE BONE FROM HEALING AND CAN RESULT IN A CHRONIC INFECTION OFTEN REFERRED TO AS A CAVITATION. WHICH MOST DEFINITELY WILL COMPROMISE YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM. YOU ALSO WANT TO KNOW HOW CLOSE THE ROOT AND THE INFECTION WAS IN PROXIMITY TO THE SINUS AND IF THERE WAS A SINUS COMMUNICATION. THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT AS THEY WILL BE PART OF YOUR DECISION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO HAVE THE IMPLANT DONE LATER ON.

<<I don't want to lose a front tooth as I'm still young and I haven't found any scientific data that back up an infected tooth with autoimmune issues. Will I just be wasting a tooth or is this a good shot at helping me heal>>

THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT THE CORRELATION BETWEEN INFECTION AND AUTOIMMUNE ISSUES. IF YOU GOOGLE THAT PHRASE YOU WILL COME UP WITH AN ABUNDANCE OF INFORMATION. WHEN EXPLORING THE INFORMATION WHAT YOU NEED TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT OUR TEETH AND OUR ORAL HEALTH CAN BE HUGE SOURCES OF BACTERIA AND INFECTION. KEEPING A ROOT CANALED TOOTH OR ANY INFECTED TOOTH IS A CHRONIC SOURCE OF INFECTION IRRITATING TO THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.

NO ONE WANTS TO LOSE THEIR TEETH, YOUNG OR OLD. IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE TO WANT TO HANG ON TO THEM FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN. BUT IF YOU PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU WANT TO HOLD ON TO AND HOW THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR HEALTH FOR THE LONG TERM... THE DECISION MAY BECOME MORE CLEAR AND A BIT EASIER TO DEAL WITH.

REGARDING THE DIFFERENT DENTAL IMPLANTS.... IT WOULD BE BEST TO GET YOUR BLOOD MARKERS UNDER CONTROL BEFORE HAVING ANY IMPLANT DONE AS THE IMPLANT IRRELEVANT OF THE TYPE CAN BECOME A CHRONIC SOURCE OF IMMUNE BURDEN IF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY.

I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT YOUR LOWER RIGHT DENTAL IMPLANT....
WHAT WAS THE HISTORY ON THAT TOOTH AND DO YOU TEND TO GET FOOD TRAPPED UNDERNEATH THAT CROWN?

Bryanna