I had a dental ct scan and the dr. showed me a black circle above one of my root canaled tooth. He said it's not an infection, but he doesn't know why is it there. This was actually the second opinion for my ( now ) 10 weeks of gum puffiness after the tooth extraction, and he said he doesn't see anything wrong with the extraction site and he wouldn't re open it. He said this black circle is maybe from a sinus connection if it was one, but this black circle ( he called it an air bubble ) is above the tooth #5, and the extraction was of the tooth #2 .

nyuszie,

A black circle can indicate several different things. It depends on where it is located.... upper or lower jaw .... near which teeth..... near or in the sinus.... near an infected or root canaled tooth.

Was this doctor an oral surgeon?

Yes, the dr. is an oral surgeon. He said in 27 years he did see something like this air bubble as he called it, only a couple of times. It's the upper jaw, above tooth #5, root canaled 20+ years ago. But he said he doesn't see anything to worry about, no infection. He said it can be felt in my mouth, where the gums and cheek meet as a little "bump". My sinuses and everything else looked ok.

nyuszisie,

Typically a round black radiographic area above a root canaled tooth indicates that the bacteria has proliferated beyond the tooth into the bone. The dark area is usually a cyst that has formed at the apex (root) of the tooth. This is not an unusual occurrence at all. So I really don't know why he would have told you that. I truly have no idea what he is talking about when he says an air bubble. You could have a sinus communication between the tooth and the sinus in which the bacteria has proliferated beyond the tooth into the sinus. That would also show as a black area above the tooth. But an air bubble??? I really don't know anything about that.

The fact that he can feel this "bump" in your mouth makes me lean towards the cyst possibility.

Based on extensive information that I have provided here on this site and that you could find if you were to search a little bit for it..... there is no denying that this root canaled tooth is not healthy. Bacteria has been residing in this tooth for many, many years and unfortunately it will travel beyond the tooth. I cannot tell you why your dentist told you he has never seen this before... perhaps you misunderstood him or he misspoke? I really don't know.

I wish I could offer you something more than I already have. But there really is no mystery here and I wish you could find the help that you need.




QUOTE=nyuszisue;1070590]Yes, the dr. is an oral surgeon. He said in 27 years he did see something like this air bubble as he called it, only a couple of times. It's the upper jaw, above tooth #5, root canaled 20+ years ago. But he said he doesn't see anything to worry about, no infection. He said it can be felt in my mouth, where the gums and cheek meet as a little "bump". My sinuses and everything else looked ok.[/QUOTE]

He said it will stay there forever or it will disappear slowly over time, but he didn't even mention a cyst, and he said it's not an infection. I didn't misunderstand him, he even said I'm one of the "lucky ones " to have something unusual ???????????
Do I really have this bad luck that I always choose a dentist who doesn't know what is he doing ?
If this is a cyst, what is need to be done ?
Thank you very much Bryanna for your time !

I just keep thinking about this dentist. The first thing he showed me looking at the ct scan pictures was the white spot you told me about ( the root canal material above the root of the extracted tooth ) while no any other dentist ever mentioned that to me. So I thought, he is a good one. Why would he say that he doesn't know what is that black cirle ? Even if he was a second opinion dr. for the tooth extraction site problem ( he didn't do the extraction ) this black circle is above a totally different tooth, not above the tooth that was extracted, so there is no connection to the previous dr's work. And it's actually an " accidental " finding. And he said he wouldn't go in to remove that white spot and he wouldn't remove the black circle, there is no reason for any of it, no infection, no reaction around them.
Can a cyst be visible on x-ray or just the ct scan ?
Thank you again ! I really respect and appreciate all of your answer, and I even recommended this site to my coworker , telling her who knowledgeable and nice are you, to take time and answer to all of us here on this site. And I know you are telling all the facts the way they are, while some of the dentists are not honest at all.

Hi, I am going through a similar experience. Can you please update me with what your doctor found out ?