Hi chrisc,

I will re post your thread and answer you in bold type.

<<Well I went to the oral surgeon to ask about #11. I did a cone beam ct scan of that tooth and it looks like the infection is 3x bigger on the front area and is quite large.>>

SO THIS CONFIRMS WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE RADIO GRAPHIC PATHOLOGY IN THE BONE. KEEP IN MIND THAT YOUR JAW BONE IS RELATIVELY SMALL AND COMPACT COMPARED TO OTHER BONY AREAS OF THE BODY. SO A LARGE INFECTION IN THE JAW BONE MEANS THAT THERE IS A LOT OF AREA INVOLVED. THE FRONT PORTION OF THE BONE IS CALLED THE BUCCAL AND IT IS THIN AND FRAGILE COMPARED TO OTHER AREAS OF BONE. WHEN AN INFECTION HAS CONSUMED THE BUCCAL BONE, IT RESULTS IN SUBSTANTIAL BONE LOSS THAT IS NOT ABLE TO BE REBUILT WELL ENOUGH WITH A BONE GRAFT MATERIAL. EVEN BONE HARVESTED FROM YOUR MANDIBLE OR FEMUR MAY NOT BE ABLE TO REBUILD THIS AREA OF BONE AS IT HAS NOTHING TO HOLD ON TO OR GROW INTO. AT THIS POINT, DUE TO THE LONGEVITY OF THE INFECTION WHICH HAS BEEN BREWING AT LEAST 10 YEARS AGO WHEN YOU HAD THE ROOT CANAL, THERE IS LITTLE TO NO HEALTHY BONE IN THAT AREA AS IT HAS DETERIORATED FROM THE BACTERIA. THIS CONDITION IS COMMONLY SEEN WITH ANTERIOR ROOT CANALED TEETH.

<<The oral surgeon insisted that I should try getting the root canal done again and get an Apicoectomy. He said there is plenty of tooth structure and healthy bone and that I can save the tooth.>>

THE OS KNOWS THIS TOOTH IS HOPELESS AND THAT IT IS INEVITABLE THAT IT WILL NEED TO BE REMOVED. HE THINKS YOU WANT TO ATTEMPT TO BUY SOME MORE TIME AND THE APICO WOULD BE YOUR ONLY OPTION. HOWEVER, WHAT HE MEANS WHEN HE SAYS "SAVE" THE TOOTH, IS SIMPLY "RETAIN", NOT "CURE". THE LONGER THIS TOOTH IS PRESENT THE FURTHER THE INFECTION WILL SPREAD BECAUSE THE TOOTH IS CAUSING ALL OF THIS PROBLEM AND THERE IS NO DENTAL PROCEDURE OR MIRACLE ZAPPING MACHINE THAT CAN REMOVE THE NECROTIC TISSUE INSIDE OF THE MICROSCOPIC CANALS THAT IS HOLDING THIS TOOTH HOSTAGE TO INFECTION. THAT NERVE TISSUE IS SO SICK.... JUST LOOK AT WHAT IT HAS DONE TO YOUR JAW BONE ALREADY.

TO REPEAT THE RC PROCEDURE AND DO AN APICO IS 100% A WASTE OF TIME, MONEY AND PAIN. NEITHER OF THOSE PROCEDURES WILL ALTER THE SICK NERVE TISSUE INSIDE OF THOSE TINY CANALS. YOU WILL NOT ONLY BE LEFT WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT YOU HAVE NOW BUT ADDITIONAL INFLAMMATION AND PERMANENT BONE LOSS FROM THE APICO SURGERY.

<<So I'm ultra confused now, who to listen too. I still feel like I should extract and get rid of the chronic infection and then get an implant, but all the dentists tell me to do after all other options are exhausted.>>

THE DENTISTS ARE IN THE BUSINESS TO SELL DENTISTRY. THERE IS A LOT OF MONEY TO BE MADE WITH REPEATED ROOT CANALS AND APICOECTOMIES AS THEY ARE NOT INTENDED TO "CURE" THE PROBLEM. SO THE PATIENT INEVITABLY HAS TO REMOVE THE TOOTH AND THEN DEAL WITH THE COMPLICATIONS OF REPLACING IT DUE TO THE EXTENSIVE BONE LOSS.

ALSO, HAS ANY OF THESE DENTISTS GIVEN YOU ANY INCLINATION ABOUT HOW THIS INFECTION IS AFFECTING YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

<<Would an Apicoectomy compromise a future implant if it fails?>>
YES, AN APICO WILL ALWAYS COMPROMISE THE SUCCESS OF A DENTAL IMPLANT BECAUSE THE APICO PROCEDURE CAUSES IRREPLACEABLE BONE LOSS. WHICH WOULD JUST FURTHER THE BONE LOSS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE.
REGARDING A DENTAL IMPLANT.... ANY TIME THE BUCCAL PORTION OF THE BONE IS LOST TO DISEASE, IT IS VERY RISKY TO PLACE AN IMPLANT IN THAT AREA AS THERE MAY NOT BE ADEQUATE BONE TO COVER THE FRONT PORTION OF THE IMPLANT. IT IS NEVER IDEAL TO PLACE AN IMPLANT IN AN AREA LIKE THAT WHICH WOULD LEAVE ONE SIDE OF THE IMPLANT COVERED WITH GUM TISSUE AND NO BONE.

I know this is difficult to go through and I wish your dentists would be more informative with you... but so far they are not. You are experiencing a typical cluster mess because you are being sold tooth carpentry rather than healthy dental care.

Here are two links, from dental sites that I am unaffiliated with, that go into detail about root canaled teeth and the aftermath that they leave behind.

http://biologicaldentalhealth.com/co...ticle/106.html

http://toothbody.com/unexplained-den...ntal-ligament/

Also, re read through my posts to you. I think you know intuitively what you need to do. Listen to your intuition.

Bryanna