Tara,

Please calm down. Your case is another perfect example of the many serious risks associated with root canal therapy that are never discussed with the patient prior to the procedure and then are made light of after it's done.

The rc filling material that was used is bio compatible. However, that simply means that it is considered compatible with living tissue and not meant to cause an immunological reaction when used as it is intended. At the same time, it is not meant to be used as a overfill in rc teeth because it does not get absorbed and is a constant irritant when it is placed in areas that recognize it as an offensive foreign material.

Not to make light of your situation by any means but just to inform you ..... although your dental situation is very unfortunate it is NOT uncommon. Meaning it is typical for root canals to be done this way and over shoot the filling material ... it is typical for the dentist who did the root canal (and for others to cover for him) to make light of the overfill ..... it is a common surgery for an oral surgeon to perform because it is seen ALL the time. Is the surgery without risks? No. Is it wise to leave this diseased tooth and irritating material in the bone or nerve canal? No.

It is important for you to understand that it is rrelevant of whether or not the radio graphs show infection, irrelevant of whether or not you have pain in this tooth..... the tooth itself is infected due to the necrotic nerve tissue stuck inside of the dentin tubules. I want to make that clear to you because you are gauging this problem on your physical symptoms which is truly not wise because the longer you put this off, the more likely you are to develop systemic problems and the more complicated the surgery would become to remove the tooth, etc.

Your oral surgeon sounds like he will do a thorough job but take every precaution to minimize trauma to the nerve. However, he cannot guarantee that he will be able to remove all of that material. He cannot guarantee that you will not have some nerve damage or whether it will be temporary or permanent. There is no way to know what the neurological outcome will be but you will be ridden of a very sick tooth. So the concerns over the "progression" of an infection and the progression of neurological problems will be minimized if not completely eliminated after the tooth and material is removed.

Bryanna