bchristine,
I know this is a very difficult situation for you and all very expected considering you have been under the care of the same dentist for 20 years.
FYI... I had edited my reply to you regarding the condition of tooth #3. I think you replied to me before I finished the editing. With that said, I intended to write that tooth #3 "IS" in a similar condition as #2 regarding the decay underneath the crown.
To help summarize things to this point ......
Your upper molars, #2 (now extracted) and #3 had/have extensive tooth decay underneath the crowns. Tooth #3 appears to have pathology occurring at the apex of the root on the radio graph. This would mean that tooth #3 is not only decayed but has further infection. This is most likely why the one dentist recommended that both #2 and 3 be extracted.
I really don't think that bio dentist was trying to sell you needless expensive dentistry. He was trying to inform you of the extensive decay that your original dentist had not diagnosed and he was probably not comfortable being the one to deliver that news to you. Especially since your dentist had recently put a new crown on tooth #3! Also, amalgam tattoos demonstrate a lack of skill and a bit of carelessness on the part of the treating dentist. Amalgam filling material is toxic as it carries 50%+ mercury. This material should be removed from a patients teeth with extreme caution so as to deliberately avoid as much toxic exposure to that patient as possible and in doing so prevent this material from becoming embedded under the oral tissue. It was difficult for this new dentist to be the one to tell you all of these things because after all, you had trusted your original dentist for 20 years and here's this new guy spewing all this pertinent information. I hope I've explained that okay and it that helps clarify his intentions to give you a proable reason for his unsettled demeanor with you.
To be honest, the fact that you have a mouth full of crowns that were done by the original dentist makes me wonder about the health of the rest of your teeth. The decay on 2 and 3 is blatantly obvious and should have been picked up way before now. For him or anyone else to keep repeating the deep scaling on the back of #2 without further investigation and close review of the xrays is really inconceivable. Although to be honest, this lack of proper diagnosis happens way more than it should.
To help you understand, here are some reasons teeth will decay underneath crowns:
1) When a tooth is drilled and prepped for a crown, all existing decay needs to be removed. If it's not, then the tooth will continue to decay.
2) When a crown is fitted, if there are any open margins and/or over hangs along the gum line, bacteria will get in those areas and cause tooth decay.
3) People with swollen/irritated gums or gum disease will develop chronically inflammed gum tissue. This inflammation causes the tissue to pull away from the tooth allowing bacteria to get down in between the tooth and the tissue. This bacteria causes tooth decay, infection, etc.
4) The cement that is used to adhere crowns onto the teeth loses it's adhesiveness after several years. Depending on the type of the cement used this loss of cementation can occur at different intervals. Depending on the fit of the crowns and the health of the gum tissue, micro leakage can occur resulting in tooth decay underneath the crowns.
The yearly xrays that were taken were most likely 4 bitewings. How often did he take a full mouth series, 18-20, periapical xrays? Those are the single type of xrays that you posted here. If he was only taking bitewings then he could have missed the decay on #2 and 3 because the angle of these xrays is different than the periapicals. But surely he knew something was chronic in that area and really should have investigated it further.
If the OS did not do a thorough debridement of #2 extraction site, then there could be something still brewing in that area. A new dentist should take xrays and evaluate that area along with the wisdom tooth area to be sure nothing is going on there from the previous wisdom tooth removal.
Rinsing with warm salt water 3 times a day and taking oil of oregano is helpful to a point. The entire posterior of the upper right quadrant needs to be thoroughly evaluated and treatment options need to be given to you. Tooth #3 has extensive decay and possible apical (root) pathology (infection) and the meds and herbs are not going to diminish those issues.
I will PM you the name and website of the bio dentist in KOP.
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by bchristine
Thank you Bryanna.
No, your candor in helping me work through my dental issue is much appreciated. The bio-dentist I went to see just seemed to dump a lot of bad (and EXPENSIVE) news on me, then sort of made an abrupt exit without taking the time to explain things. I left very confused, upset and frightened. Although part of that was this whole situation in itself.
If you wouldn't mind answering a few more questions ... I would be very grateful. I will answer yours first:
DID THIS DENTIST DO THE CROWN WORK FOR YOU? Yes, all of it. I have a mouthful of crowns ...
DID HE TAKE ROUTINE XRAYS OF YOUR TEETH? OR DID YOU REFUSE XRAYS? No, I let him take x-rays as needed ... usually every year.
THE DEEP CLEANING ON THE DISTAL (BACK) OF TOOTH #2 WAS A TRUE TEMPORARY MEASURE AT THE VERY MOST AS IT CANNOT ALTER THE BACTERIAL STATUS FROM THE DECAY. THIS DECAY MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE SHOWED UP ON XRAYS LONG BEFORE NOW. So you think my dentist just ignored that?
SURGICAL DEBRIDEMENT REQUIRES A LOT OF SCRAPING. IT IS NOT PAINFUL BUT YOU WOULD KNOW IT WAS BEING DONE. IT USUALLY TAKES A MINIMUM OF 15-20 MINUTES, SOMETIMES LONGER. The OS definitely did not do that ... he only spent a few minutes with me.
YES, #3 IS DECAYED UNDERNEATH THE CROWN AND THERE APPEARS TO BE RADIO GRAPHIC PATHOLOGY ON THE MESIAL (FRONT) ROOT. THIS TOOTH IS NOT IN SIMILAR SHAPE TO TOOTH #2.
THIS TOOTH HAS OBVIOUSLY BEEN DECAYING FOR YEARS. THE BACTERIA FROM THE DECAY WAS PROLIFERATING BEYOND THE TOOTH AND THAT IS WHAT HE WAS SCRAPING OUT. BUT IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT THE DECAY WOULD KEEP SPREADING.
-- I'm not sure I'm clear on these points you make? You are referring to the #3 tooth? You also mention 'scraping out' that he did ... do you mean the OS when he extracted tooth #2? He did no scraping that I'm aware of.
HOW ABOUT CONGESTION OR STUFFINESS ON THAT SIDE OF YOUR NOSE?
- No, nothing but the usual little bit of runny nose now and then; I've had that for MANY years (Mother did too).
DID THAT DENTIST TAKE XRAYS BEFORE HE DID THE PERIO SURGERY? THE DECAY ON THE MOLARS HAS BEEN THERE AND PROGRESSING FOR A LONG TIME. At the time, the perio-dentist got x-rays that were just done by my regular dentist.
** I also want to mention that my regular dentist just put a remake of a crown on that tooth #3 in June of this summer. The bio-dentist was appalled by that.
Also, when I said amalgams before, I meant the bio-dentist pointed out that the very obvious gray areas on almost my entire upper right (the area we've been discussing) is amalgam TATOOS - underneath the gum. Too many things going on in my upper right.
Do you suggest this bio-dentist in KOP or another OS? This is costing me a fortune, but I know I can't go on like this.
In the meantime, I have been using sea salt rinses 3-5x day and using a little bit of Oil of Oregano. I know these will not "fix" what is wrong, but I'm just trying to tame the infection (if that's what it is) and get the swelling down. Do you have any other suggestions?
Yes, I would like to know the bio-dentist you recommend. Do you know him/her personally?
Thank you so much Bryanna - I can't tell you how grateful I am for your help and opinion.
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