Hi danzergurl,

Your tooth is very infected and obviously has been for awhile because in order for the bacteria to become evident in the bone on the xray, it has to have been brewing for some time. So the tooth was not healthy when your original dentist prepared it for the crown. Why he didn't see that on the xray or did see it and just not inform you of it nobody really knows. Drilling into an infected tooth causes the nerves to react unfavorably and pain sets in. The blood and pus inside of the tooth are also clear indicators that the tooth had been infected for awhile.

At this point, extraction is the only means of eliminating the pain and removing the source of the infection. However, in most cases like yours the patient is put on antibiotics for 3 days prior to the extraction. The reason being is that the tooth is "hot" with infection which means the contents of the tooth and the surrounding area is very acidic. Local dental anesthetic is very alkaline. So since acid over takes alkaline, in order to obtain adequate anesthesia, the acidity of the infection needs to be reduced by an antibiotic for a few days. Otherwise the anesthetic may not be very effective and the extraction would be intolerable. Within those 3 days of taking the antibiotic you may notice a reduction in pain as the antibiotic is temporarily reducing the acids from the infection and some inflammation. However, this does not mean the antibiotic is killing the infection and curing it. The only means of attempting to cure the infection is to remove the source which is the tooth.

Bone grafts should only be placed in healthy bone. Otherwise you run the risk of further infection. See an oral surgeon and be sure to request that he remove the tooth in its entirety as well as all diseased tissue and bone. If he feels that he has been able to do that without any question and feels he is on solid healthy bone, then the graft can be placed. If he has any doubt about any of that, they the bone graft should not be placed until about 2 weeks after the extraction.

I would recommend that you call your holistic minded dentist, today, and ask for a referral to a like minded oral surgeon. He can prescribe the antibiotic for you. But be sure to have the tooth removed while on the antibiotic. I know you would like to have your insurance cover this, but in all honesty the priority is seeing someone who is best qualified to remove this tooth and not just working for the insurance company. You can discuss reimbursement of this crown and root canal with your dentist after the tooth is removed.

Please check in and let us know how you are doing.
Bryanna