Nukuspot,
The wisdom tooth, #16, was what caused the recession on #15 if it was laying up against it. The bone loss occurred not because there was a problem with #15 but because #16 left no room for bone to grown in between it and #15.
The loss of bone means that the distal area of the tooth is no longer protected as it would have been if bone were there covering it. The recession that occurs from the bone loss exposes a good portion of the root surface. So even if this were a virgin tooth, it would still be vulnerable to problems more so than if there were no bone loss. In addition to the recession, the tooth has a large filling which weakens an already vulnerable tooth.
If a tooth is fractured in the crown portion (this is the part of the tooth that visibly sticks out of the gum tissue) sometimes a crown can be done to help protect the tooth. But if the fracture is below the gum line or is vertical from the crown area down the root, then there is no effective way to restore that tooth. Root canaling a fractured tooth does not repair the fractured area but it does render the tooth chronically unhealthy due to the inability to debride the nerve tissue from the dentin tubules.
It can be very difficult if not impossible to find a fracture in a tooth and generally a fracture does not heal and repair itself. The best you can do is eat healthfully, take supportive supplements, seek help if you have a grinding habit (like meditation or other calming therapies), avoid chewing hard or chewy food on that tooth, and keep it clean.
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by nukuspot
Thank you for your quick response! I guess I am doing all that I can to help it if it is pulpitis, then, based on what you said. I eat a 100% organic diet, very low in sugar. I drink green drinks daily and take an omega 3 supplement and a B complex among others. My dentist took the tooth totally out of occlusion earlier this month, which helped get rid of the cold pain but unfortunately did not change the pain to chewing. When I chew on it, especially hard food, it is very painful, and then it aches for 1-12 hours afterwards, sometimes all through the night. Soft food does not hurt to chew, but still causes that same prolonged aching pain afterwards. So I almost completely chew on the other side. I try to stay off of that tooth completely because chewing=pain for hours. I also wear a night guard on the lower teeth, which has been recently adjusted last month to not touch #15.
I imagine that perhaps if it is a crack, that will never heal, correct? What is the standard treatment for a crack? Do they always suggest RCT or EXT or can they ever treat the tooth when it is still alive? The endo said the tooth is vital but he doesn't think it will recover.
For your questions--All my measurements for my gums have been 1-3s, so while I don't know the exact number, it was not anything abnormal for that pocket. There is recession on the distal side. My kids' dentist had early on recommended using MI Paste or ozonated olive oil on it (when I asked him while I was there for my daughter, he looked at it) to see if that would help. But it did not and when I saw my dentist he said that he didn't think the recession could cause my symptoms. The wisdom tooth was laying against it, you are right. That was removed about 3 years ago, because I was having pain in #15! Looking back, I think #15 has been having issues for awhile. When the pain went away after the wisdom was out, I assumed the pain was the wisdom, but based on what is going on now, it was probably whatever is going on with #15.
Is there anything else you can recommend I do as far as trying to get a diagnosis or treatment to calm it other than just watch and wait? It's not ideal to chew just on one side, but I will do that indefinitely if I have to.
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