Hi everyone, I am new here. I hope someone can help me with this problem. I feel like I am going nuts.

I had an upper molar extracted about a month ago and the molar behind it has shifted. Badly. So much so that it is now on an angle, moving into the space in front of it, somewhat twisted, cutting into the gum, into the side of my mouth, and the tooth feels dead. I am disabled and on serious pain killers and they do nothing for the pain in my mouth. The entire side of my mouth is raw. I can barely eat.

I've been researching teeth shifting on the internet and nothing I've read suggests that teeth shift that much that quickly but I know I am not imagining this.

I go to the dentist in a couple of days for a filling and I am going to be insisting she send me back to the oral surgeon to extract the second molar.

The funny part is that I am 50 and I've never really had any problems with my teeth so this is a huge thing for me. The first tooth extracted was the one exception. I've had it filled 3 or 4 times as it kept getting cavities and it finally rotted from within. I didn't even feel it until the tooth was beyond saving.

Can teeth really shift that much in so little time? A friend suggested that the oral surgeons might knocked the second molar out of place pulling the first. Is that possible?

Should I have any concerns about having the second molar removed and getting a bridge?

Thanks!

Hi Helena,

Generally teeth do not shift that much that quickly. I doubt that the surgeon did any thing to cause this tooth to move so quickly and at a such an angle.

Do you have periodontal disease? Did the first molar have deep pocketing and/or a lot of bone loss around it? If either of those things are yes, then the second molar would tend to move forward a bit more quickly than normal because of the loss of bone due to periodontal disease.

There is nothing wrong with having the second molar removed if it is diseased and/or causing you pain due to the angulation of it. However, your lower teeth may shift upwards a bit if they have nothing to bite against once if both of the upper molars are removed.

It is important to first determine the health of the tooth and the bone around it before you have it removed. Your dentist can evaluate that for you.

Keep us posted...
Bryanna