Chelle,

To answer that question you need to understand what the root canal procedure is and isn't. You seem very interested in research and eager to hear all sides of the issue....here is a site that gives abundant information which is all traceable to the studies that were done.

http://www.robertgammal.com/RCT/RCTDangerous.html

Bryanna

Hey there! Hope this finds you doing okay
We can always count on you to bring a positive spirit to every topic.
Your continued support of my efforts here is more appreciated than I could ever tell you. Thank you ~
I hope your holiday was happy and that this new year brings better health your way! I wish you happiness and lots of it!!
Bryanna


QUOTE=ginnie;1040193]Best explanation yet. Thank you. Have a very good New Year. ginnie[/QUOTE]

Bryanna, thanks for your candid response. I decided to skip the visit to the endodontist to try and "save" the infected root canaled tooth and had it pulled a couple of weeks ago. I was in this week to explore options of a bridge but as mentioned, both anchor teeth are RC's and in fact one of them had some decay going on under the crown! Ugh! So now I need a new crown as well.

Anyway, it looks like I will be doing an implant. I will have a consulting session first to make sure that an implant would work and there is no remaining infection down in that bone. Does that makes sense?

Thanks again and hope you had a great holiday break.

Hi Patton,

Glad to hear that you decided to have the tooth extracted. I know this is never an easy decision but it is the only way to eliminate the origin of the problem.

Regarding the adjacent tooth with the decay underneath the crown...as you stated this tooth is also root canaled. So before you invest in another crown it is important for you to know that this tooth is not healthy. The root canal renders this tooth non vital and chronically inflamed/infected. Decay is typically found underneath the crowns on teeth that have been root canaled because the bacteria that resides inside of the tooth eventually makes it way through the tooth. Drilling into this fragile tooth to remove decay will cause further inflammation and pre dispose it to fracture. So to re crown this tooth is truly a temporary measure to retain the tooth.

Also, if you are contemplating a dental implant to replace the recently extracted tooth keep in mind that both of the adjacent teeth are root canaled which means that area of your mouth is not healthy which could compromise the success of the dental implant.

All too often patients get caught up in a messy dental situation because they have not been given enough information to make an informed decision prior to having the work done. Discuss various treatment options with your dentist that takes into consideration the lack of longevity of those two rc teeth as you and he may be able to come up with a more conducive plan.

Bryanna

So I'm re-thinking the implant. I will still do a consulting session with the oral surgeon but I'm having second doubts. So both ajoining teeth are RC'd so that rules out a bridge and looks like a nesbit as well? So should I just leave a gap there? Wouldnt the tooth below move up and cause future problems is I left a gap? What about the rc'd teeth on both side of the gap drifting? Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Patton,

A nesbit may be an option for you to replace the extracted tooth simply because it will only be a matter of time before the other two teeth will act up and need to be removed. The nesbit will hold the space open so the adjacent teeth do not move into it and it will prevent the opposing tooth from drifting up.

Some dentists do not like nesbits and will not make them. So this is something you would have to discuss with your dentist.

The discussion you should have with him is regarding the health and longevity of those root canaled teeth. Tell him you are concerned about both of those things and would prefer not to "patch things up" only to end up having to redo the work later on.

Bryanna

I have a Nesbit. I really like it and it causes me no trouble. My particular dentist is all for them, so start calling around to see who will consider that option for you. I didn't want an implant, so that was my next best option. ginnie

my dentist removed my infected root canal tooth last night. it was a horrible experience that took over an hour to complete as the tooth got pulled piece by piece. I also got diagnosed with a double lung infection several days ago. could the lung infection have stemmed from the infected tooth??

Hi Hoover,

Infected teeth can cause or contribute to other infections anyplace in the body. Each person is unique in how there immune system deals with chronic infection. Some people will become ill sooner than others.... some illnesses can be more severe than others.

If you have any other root canaled or infected teeth.... or untreated periodontal disease then it would behoove you to have a comprehensive dental examination and full mouth x-rays. Keep in mind that there is no dental procedure that can cure an infected tooth.... which means all root canaled teeth are a chronic source of bacterial infection.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

Bryanna




QUOTE=Hoover1979;1059552]my dentist removed my infected root canal tooth last night. it was a horrible experience that took over an hour to complete as the tooth got pulled piece by piece. I also got diagnosed with a double lung infection several days ago. could the lung infection have stemmed from the infected tooth??[/QUOTE]

Hi...

Your forum is incredible! Thank you so much for making it available to people like me.

I am currently sitting in my hospital bed with right sided facial Cellulitis. It was extremely aggressive but fortunately it did not enter the orbit of my rt eye which was confirmed by a CT scan. Through the CT scan, the doc also ruled out a sinus infection being the cause of the cellulitis and after speaking with an EMT doc today, have a feeling this is due to a root canal gone bad.. After a few days of IV antibiotics I am looking forward to going home tomorrow (YEA!!) but am now looking for clarity as to what to do next and am hoping you can help. Let's rewind back 8 months...

I sought out dental care for my rt back molar due to extreme pain. There was no ulcer on my gum but the dentist advised me that I had a "pretty bad" infection in the bone beneath the infected molar. Due to my health condition (Fibromyalgia) and a compromised immune system, I questioned if the tooth was even worth saving. Additionally, being disabled, my finances were/are horrible which I shared since the cost of the root canal and crown exceeded 2,000. Because I am missing the molar before the infected one, I was filled with horror stories as to why I should keep the tooth, so being fear stricken, I signed the paperwork for Carecredit and opted for the root canal.

Because the infection was in the bone, the dentist prescribed a round of antibiotics. After I finished taking them and returned for treatment I told the dentist that the tooth was still really sensitive. He said it must still be infected and prescribed another round
of antibiotic, a really strong one. After completing the 2nd dose of antibiotic the tooth and jaw were still sensitive, but he said it would be fine. I again asked if he felt this would be successful given the infection and he assured me it would.

I have had root canals in the past without complication so trusted his medical opinion even though my gut told me otherwise.

The root canal itself was horrible and after it was all done, with crown in place, he said it would take some time before the sensitivity in the tooth would go away.

Fast forward two months after the completed root canal on rt back molar. The entire right side of my face blew up, was red, hot and extremely painful. This is the firsttime I was diagnosed with facial cellulitis and was treated with oral antibiotics by my family doc.

A couple of months later I went to see another dentist (one I was more familiar with) for a different tooth and asked him to take a look at the rt back root canal molar because it was still pretty sensitive. After taking the xray he asked me if I was aware that there was a piece of file in my tooth. No, the other dentist never told me that.

4 months later here I am with the cellulitis again. The obvious solution is to get the tooth pulled. Can I ever know for certain if it is the tooth causing the multiple infections in my face? Additionally, can there still be infection in the bone that needs to be addressed and, if so, how is this done? And, what about the dentist that did this? Can I do anything legally? As you can imagine, this whole experience has been horrible, except for the wonderful people that have been taking care of me here at the hospital.

Any input you can provide would be really appreciated. Lol, and yes I know, I should have listened to my gut.

Many thanks.

Susan