[josey]

I have been having problems all summer. First I had a molar in the far back of my mouth that hurt when touched and hurt with cold and heat. The dentist capped it, that was all. A couple of weeks later it was still hurting me. So I went to another dentist because I didn't trust him anymore. The new dentist said it should have had a root canal first. He spent two days a total of 8 hours trying to do a root canal, but then finally said that part of the tooth was crystalized, and he couldn't drill through it. Does that make sense? Won't a drive go through that? So he had to pull it out. Then shards kept pushing out, and I had to have them removed.

It has been two months, and my gum still hurts when I press on it, and the bone seems to stick out far on the inside of the mouth, but it doesn't feel like a bone. Next after this two months the tooth that was next to it began hurting. If i tap it i can feel it. It also causes a headache, but then it could be my gums causing a headache.

I don't know who to trust as a dentist now. I don't want to lose another tooth. '

1. why is the tooth next to the extraction finally hurting?
2. or is the pain disfused?
3. can't a dentist see that a tooth has crystalization by an xray?
and can't that be drilled through?

I really like the second dentist because he is really kind, but I really want a good job done, and I don't know how to judge him. He is also cheaper than other dentists in town and doens't have the fancy equipment. He does his own cleaning manually, which I like better because the modern type leave my gums sore for over a month.

thanks for any help.

[Bryanna]

Hi josey,

Sometimes the large canals inside the roots of a tooth can become "calcified" which means there is no space in the canal and a drill cannot create an opening. But some dentists will keep trying to make an opening often fracturing or perforating the side of tooth in the process. Another issue that can cause a dentist to over work a tooth during a root canal is the fact that there are millions of tiny canals that range from microscopic to somewhat visible to the eye ..... but again not large enough or straight enough to gain access to them. Sometimes a calcified canal can be seen on an xray. Other times it cannot.

After the extraction, you had bony fragments and/or pieces of splintered jawbone that were removed..... you referred to them as shards. Small, slight fragments are normal with molar extractions. But anything that is more than slight or more than one or two can occur when the tooth is ankylosed (the tooth and the bone actually become fused together)... OR when the tooth/jawbone is brittle from infection .....OR if the tooth is fractured ....OR if the dentist does not properly elevate the tooth from the ligament and uses excessive force to remove the tooth.

Two months post op and that area should be feeling pretty good. Soreness, any hard or soft lumps should be evaluated by an oral surgeon.

As for the tooth next to this extraction... it is normal for an adjacent tooth to feel sore or achy or temperature sensitive during the healing phase of the surgery. Especially if the removal procedure caused excessive trauma to that area of bone. But this tooth should be evaluated at this point.

FYI in case you did not know .... I am chair-side assistant in dentistry for 30+ yrs .... so all that I'm telling you is fact. With regard to your dentist doing his own cleanings..... that is definitely not ideal as dentists hate to do cleanings and because they can't make any money doing them, the job is done only so so.

If you prefer to have your teeth hand scaled rather than use the electric scaler, then state your preference to the hygienist. If in general your cleanings by a hygienist are painful then you may have any of these things going on......... gum problems which may need to be addressed ....OR you have a build up of plaque/tartar on your teeth.... OR you have some areas of recession ........ OR the hygienist is just too rough and needs to be told to back off a bit. But first find out if you have either of the other issues first so that you can take measures to change them for the better and then your cleanings will be better also!

In the meantime, I would see an oral surgeon to evaluate that extraction site to make sure it is healing okay.

Bryanna

Originally Posted by josey

I have been having problems all summer. First I had a molar in the far back of my mouth that hurt when touched and hurt with cold and heat. The dentist capped it, that was all. A couple of weeks later it was still hurting me. So I went to another dentist because I didn't trust him anymore. The new dentist said it should have had a root canal first. He spent two days a total of 8 hours trying to do a root canal, but then finally said that part of the tooth was crystalized, and he couldn't drill through it. Does that make sense? Won't a drive go through that? So he had to pull it out. Then shards kept pushing out, and I had to have them removed.

It has been two months, and my gum still hurts when I press on it, and the bone seems to stick out far on the inside of the mouth, but it doesn't feel like a bone. Next after this two months the tooth that was next to it began hurting. If i tap it i can feel it. It also causes a headache, but then it could be my gums causing a headache.

I don't know who to trust as a dentist now. I don't want to lose another tooth. '

1. why is the tooth next to the extraction finally hurting?
2. or is the pain disfused?
3. can't a dentist see that a tooth has crystalization by an xray?
and can't that be drilled through?

I really like the second dentist because he is really kind, but I really want a good job done, and I don't know how to judge him. He is also cheaper than other dentists in town and doens't have the fancy equipment. He does his own cleaning manually, which I like better because the modern type leave my gums sore for over a month.

thanks for any help.