CWMB,
The choice to keep your tooth is yours to make. Your "friend of the family" oral surgeon may be correct in that you have a muscular issue going on but he is remiss in leading you to believe that this tooth is healthy.
The decrease in pain can be misleading as it does not mean the infection from the tooth is going away. Remember those hundreds of inaccessible tiny canals that I mentioned earlier? They haven't disappeared and neither has the infected nerve tissue inside of them. The decrease in pain indicates that the antibiotic has temporarily subsided the inflammation and it also quite possibly indicates that the bacteria has migrated to a new place and is draining there.
It is understandable that you are concerned about not having any teeth in that upper quadrant and of course that is not ideal for many reasons. But please understand that what you are holding onto is a very diseased tooth that is going to cause further infection. Also, your dentists should be informing you about the permanent bone loss that will result due to this infection. Replacing root canaled teeth with dental implants is very risky and frequently unsuccessful due to the long term infection from the tooth that has resulted in irreplaceable bone loss.
It does not make me happy to be the one to inform you or others about these issues that your dentists have neglected to mention. However, in good conscience I know it's your right to be properly informed. What you do with the information and how you determine your decision is up to you.
I wish you all the best and I encourage you to do your own research on the subject of root canals and systemic health.
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by CWMB
Thank you both for your replies. I appreciate your empathy and advice. The pain seems to be subsiding somewhat. Yesterday it was unbearable but today it is less severe. The pain behind the root canaled tooth has also diminished. Slight irritation, but better. The pain up in my mouth is far away from the root candled tooth and an oral surgeon (friend of the family) said today, it appears to be a muscle issue. I have a very irritated muscle up in my mouth, perhaps from all the work done recently. I also have developed TMJ, as my bite is very much out of whack from the wisdom tooth removal, etc. I am going to try to wait it out before extracting the tooth. I figure i want to exhaust all options before losing this tooth (and the bridge) entirely - which seems to me, could be quite traumatic and lead to months upon months of surgery for implants to replace the molars, etc. Thank you again and I do hope my pain continues to subside. I appreciate your advice greatly.
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