About 16 years ago, when I was a teenager, I had teeth 7-8-9 damaged due to a hockey accident. I had the visible tooth ground down, root canal, post and crown. The crowns were bonded together due to the trauma to tooth 7 and the stability. Although tooth 7 is not currently cracked it is a concern and always has been.

I have kept up with dental visits but moved around the US, so I have seen several dentists. There has always been a dark spot between tooth 7-8 and 8-9 when an x-ray is taken, between 7-8 the spot has always been darker. Some dentists were concerned with the dark spots wanted to retreat the root canal due to possible infection. Some dentists said they were in great shape and did not want to retreat. I never retreated due to cost and widely varying opinion.

About 2 months ago I fell in a pool area and chipped the porcelain on 7 and 8. The crowns therefore had to be removed, the dentist also noticed a fistula above tooth 7-8 at the very top of the gum (where the gum meets the upper lip). The dentist recommended canal re-treatment. I saw an endodontic and had all three root canals retreated. The original root canal on 7 was about 2 mm short of the top of the tooth and the sealing material above 9 was loose. The loose material in 9 could not be extracted was pushed up above the tooth tip.

The fistula above 7-8 still remains over three weeks since root canal retreat. Seven days ago during a revisit to the endodontic he prescribed an oral antibiotic (augmentin), I have taken the antibiotic for 7 days and the fistula remains. The endodontic has suggested apicoectomy above 7-8 to clear the infection. I currently have temp crowns on and I am awaiting a cast post build up of 7 for the permanent post.

I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.