Dentistry & Dental Issues For support and discussion about dentistry and dental issues.


advertisement
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-05-2014, 09:22 PM #1
dwnjef dwnjef is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
8 yr Member
dwnjef dwnjef is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
8 yr Member
Default 2 root canals, extraction, implant, now adjacent tooth infection!

I am at my wits end over what I see as the inevitable loss of several teeth with no end in sight. I had a root canal on tooth # 14 by an endodontist five years ago. Last year, I started to have pain in this tooth and was told that it had abscessed and I could have an apico or a second root canal. I returned to the endodontist and opted for the second root canal. Soon after, I was told that this procedure did not work and the tooth would need to be extracted. So, I set up an appt. with an oral surgeon and have the tooth extracted.

Oral surgeon indicated that the tooth was extremely infected (not sure why, had several rounds of antibiotics, but whatever). Tooth is removed in January 2014 with seemingly no issue. Between February and May of 2014, I start having pain in tooth #13. At one point, the pain is so bad I cannot chew at all on this tooth. I visit my regular dentist, on 3 separate occasions (x ray taken one time), to be told that everything looks fine and my teeth must be shifting so I should schedule a bridge or implant appointment ASAP. I schedule an appt. with a different dentist for an implant and have the implant placed in June 2014. At my follow up implant appt. I mention that tooth # 13 continues to be sensitive - no longer painful, but definitely sensitive. The implant dentist does an xray and says, of course #13 is sensitive---it's infected and likely in need of a root canal!! He gave me antibiotics, which seemed to make no difference whatsoever, and is proceeding with fitting my implant with an abutment while watching the infection in tooth #13.

I am worried for a variety of reasons. I'd like to know1) Is it possible that my extraction of tooth #14 caused the infection in tooth # 13 (which doesn't even have a filing in it to date); 2) Is my implant where tooth #14 was potentially comprised because of the infection now in tooth #13 3) what should I do at this point to prevent losing anymore teeth???
Thank you
dwnjef is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote

advertisement
Old 08-06-2014, 10:10 AM #2
Bryanna's Avatar
Bryanna Bryanna is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,624
15 yr Member
Bryanna Bryanna is offline
Grand Magnate
Bryanna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,624
15 yr Member
Default

Hi dwnjef,

I will re-post your questions and answer you in bold type.

<<Oral surgeon indicated that the tooth was extremely infected (not sure why, had several rounds of antibiotics, but whatever). >>

ALL ROOT CANALED TEETH ARE CHRONICALLY INFECTED AS THERE IS ALWAYS NECROTIC NERVE TISSUE STILL RESIDING INSIDE OF THE TOOTH. EVERY DENTIST IS AWARE OF THIS BUT THE INFORMATION IS USUALLY NOT SHARED WITH THE PATIENT BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER THE RC PROCEDURE. SO YOUR OS WAS CORRECT... THE TOOTH WAS INFECTED.

<<Is it possible that my extraction of tooth #14 caused the infection in tooth # 13 (which doesn't even have a filing in it to date);>>

NO. IT IS HIGHLY LIKELY THAT YOUR INFECTED #14 TOOTH INFECTED #13. ORAL INFECTIONS IN THE JAW BONE, WHICH IS WHAT A TOOTH INFECTION IS, COMMONLY SPREADS TO THE ADJACENT TEETH. INFECTED TEETH DO NOT HAVE TO DISPLAY SYMPTOMS UNTIL THE INFECTION IS SEVERE.

<<2) Is my implant where tooth #14 was potentially comprised because of the infection now in tooth #13 >>

FIRST OF ALL YOUR DENTAL IMPLANT IS COMPROMISED DUE TO THE LONG STANDING INFECTION WITH TOOTH #14, THE TOOTH THAT THE IMPLANT HAS REPLACED. WHY? BECAUSE THE INFECTION OF THAT TOOTH WAS IN THE JAW BONE AND THERE IS NO WAY TO BE SURE THAT THE BONE IS CLEAR OF INFECTION. IN ADDITION TO THAT, ANYTIME YOU PLACE A DENTAL IMPLANT IN AN AREA NEXT TO AN INFECTED AND/OR ROOT CANALED TOOTH THE LONGEVITY OF THAT IMPLANT IS COMPROMISED DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE SPREAD OF INFECTION FROM THAT INFECTED TOOTH.

<<3) what should I do at this point to prevent losing anymore teeth>>

IT IS NOT IDEAL TO RETAIN INFECTED TEETH, THIS INCLUDES ROOT CANALED TEETH. REMOVING INFECTED TEETH PREVENTS THE SPREAD OF INFECTION WHICH OTHERWISE COULD LEAD TO NUMEROUS DENTAL PROBLEMS.

I am sorry if you have not been informed of this information from any of your dentists prior to now. It is not uncommon for dentists to not disclose this information until they are questioned about it.

I know this is not the information you were hoping to hear but I hope it has been helpful to you.



Quote:
Originally Posted by dwnjef View Post
I am at my wits end over what I see as the inevitable loss of several teeth with no end in sight. I had a root canal on tooth # 14 by an endodontist five years ago. Last year, I started to have pain in this tooth and was told that it had abscessed and I could have an apico or a second root canal. I returned to the endodontist and opted for the second root canal. Soon after, I was told that this procedure did not work and the tooth would need to be extracted. So, I set up an appt. with an oral surgeon and have the tooth extracted.

Oral surgeon indicated that the tooth was extremely infected (not sure why, had several rounds of antibiotics, but whatever). Tooth is removed in January 2014 with seemingly no issue. Between February and May of 2014, I start having pain in tooth #13. At one point, the pain is so bad I cannot chew at all on this tooth. I visit my regular dentist, on 3 separate occasions (x ray taken one time), to be told that everything looks fine and my teeth must be shifting so I should schedule a bridge or implant appointment ASAP. I schedule an appt. with a different dentist for an implant and have the implant placed in June 2014. At my follow up implant appt. I mention that tooth # 13 continues to be sensitive - no longer painful, but definitely sensitive. The implant dentist does an xray and says, of course #13 is sensitive---it's infected and likely in need of a root canal!! He gave me antibiotics, which seemed to make no difference whatsoever, and is proceeding with fitting my implant with an abutment while watching the infection in tooth #13.

I am worried for a variety of reasons. I'd like to know1) Is it possible that my extraction of tooth #14 caused the infection in tooth # 13 (which doesn't even have a filing in it to date); 2) Is my implant where tooth #14 was potentially comprised because of the infection now in tooth #13 3) what should I do at this point to prevent losing anymore teeth???
Thank you
__________________
Bryanna

***I have been in the dental profession for 4 decades. I am an educator and Certified Dental Assistant extensively experienced in chair side assisting and dental radiography. The information that I provide here is my opinion based on my education and professional experience. It is not meant to be taken as medical advice.***
Bryanna is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 08-06-2014, 01:13 PM #3
dwnjef dwnjef is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
8 yr Member
dwnjef dwnjef is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
8 yr Member
Default

Thank you for your fast response...At this point in the game, I have the implant placed and am getting ready for the abutment and crown to be placed, but I still have the infection in tooth # 13. Would you advise that I speak with my implant dentist about removing tooth #13 and having a second implant placed there...thus, skipping the seemingly next recommended step of a root canal in tooth # 13?

Also, would you delay the abutment and crown on the implant until the fate of tooth #13 has been decided? I am scared that I will either root canal or remove tooth # 13, then I'll have an infection in tooth # 12, then # 11....How can I get this to end??
dwnjef is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 08-06-2014, 06:29 PM #4
Bryanna's Avatar
Bryanna Bryanna is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,624
15 yr Member
Bryanna Bryanna is offline
Grand Magnate
Bryanna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,624
15 yr Member
Default

dwnjef,

As I said.... to keep an infected or root canaled tooth in your mouth means to keep the infection. Bacteria travels through the vessels, nerves and the bone and other teeth can become infected. It is not unusual for people to start out with one infected tooth, have it root canaled, then the next one, then the next one and so on. I have seen countless patients who have had all of their teeth root canaled across their entire arch and it all started with one tooth.

There is no ideal answer regarding the removal of #13 at this time. The reason being is that the removal can disturb the healing of the #14 site. At the same time, if you leave #13 or you root canal it, you are keeping an infected tooth which is next to a dental implant. Yes, the bacteria can spread to #12 but it can also spread to the implant site as well.

In retrospect, if #13 had been diagnosed sooner, then it and # 14 could have been removed at the same time. Which would have avoided this complication that you now face. Tooth #13 did not become infected over night. So somebody should have picked up on that infection sooner than they did.

You may be talked into root canaling #13 simply because the surgery to remove it may compromise the dental implant. But as you already know, root canals do not cure infected teeth. So an rc is not the answer.

I'm sorry you are in this predicament. Your dentists, like many dentists, should have been more thorough and more informative about #13.

Perhaps a consultation with an oral surgeon about the removal of #13 and what his opinion is regarding the effects it could have on the healing of the dental implant might be helpful.

I hope this information was helpful to you.

QUOTE=dwnjef;1087590]Thank you for your fast response...At this point in the game, I have the implant placed and am getting ready for the abutment and crown to be placed, but I still have the infection in tooth # 13. Would you advise that I speak with my implant dentist about removing tooth #13 and having a second implant placed there...thus, skipping the seemingly next recommended step of a root canal in tooth # 13?

Also, would you delay the abutment and crown on the implant until the fate of tooth #13 has been decided? I am scared that I will either root canal or remove tooth # 13, then I'll have an infection in tooth # 12, then # 11....How can I get this to end??[/QUOTE]
__________________
Bryanna

***I have been in the dental profession for 4 decades. I am an educator and Certified Dental Assistant extensively experienced in chair side assisting and dental radiography. The information that I provide here is my opinion based on my education and professional experience. It is not meant to be taken as medical advice.***
Bryanna is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 08-06-2014, 08:38 PM #5
dwnjef dwnjef is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
8 yr Member
dwnjef dwnjef is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 3
8 yr Member
Default

Bryanna, thank you for your information thus far. I'm trying to understand this fully so I can make an informed decision...You are saying that I need to have the infected tooth removed in order to be free of infection...but that I did remove #14 and right after that extraction procedure, I get an infection in a tooth that has never had any issues whatsoever. I don't even have a filling in # 13 and now it is presenting as infected. If I remove #13, what's to stop the infection from spreading to #12 or #11?
dwnjef is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 08-07-2014, 09:02 AM #6
Bryanna's Avatar
Bryanna Bryanna is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,624
15 yr Member
Bryanna Bryanna is offline
Grand Magnate
Bryanna's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,624
15 yr Member
Default

dwnjef,

I am saying that to retain an infected tooth and this includes root canaled because all root canaled teeth are chronically infected, means to retain a brewing infection. You had a chronic infection in tooth #14 for over 5 years as the original infection did not occur suddenly before you had the original root canal. The longer the source of the infection, your tooth, was retained in your mouth the more widespread the infection would become.

There are many problems associated with retaining infected teeth. Some of these problems include the spread of infection to other teeth, other areas of the mouth, the sinus, the brain and other organs of the body. When a bacterial infection has spread beyond it's original area and enters the bloodstream it is referred to as a systemic infection. It can be difficult to eradicate these types of infections because there is no telling where it has settled as not all infections produce symptoms at the onset.

There is no sure way to know how far the bacteria from tooth #14 has spread. Not all infection can be seen visually or radio-graphically or have symptoms until it is severe. This is why is it never wise to retain an infected tooth as there is no procedure that can sterilize a tooth, remove all of the necrotic nerve tissue from the microscopic canals, or make a tooth healthy again. Root canals and apicoectomies are performed to retain an infected tooth for an undetermined amount of time. They are not intended to cure an infected tooth nor do they prevent the spread of infection. It is a shame that many dentists do not inform their patients about this prior to their patient giving consent to these procedures. ALL dentists are aware of the information that I am giving you here.

The infection in tooth #13 did not occur after the removal of #14. The infection in #13 has been brewing for who knows how long. It was either missed on previous x-rays, or you were not informed about it until #14 was removed, or the infection did not show itself visually or radio-graphically until it was severe.

If you remove #13 you are removing "a source" of the infection as you've already become aware that the original infection has spread to this tooth. There is no way at this point in time to know for certain if the bacteria has not spread beyond #13 unless it can be visually or radio-graphically seen. However you do know that not to remove it means you are retaining the infection that will continue to spread.

The issues with removing #13 at this time have to do with how that surgery will affect the newly placed dental implant. As there is always a risk of infection with any surgery and removing this tooth may disturb the healing of the bone in the site of the implant. At the same time, retaining infected #13 may also risk failure of the implant. This is why you have to consult with an oral surgeon.

I am so sorry you are going through this. Your situation is complicated but it is not unusual. Unfortunately it happens frequently because the patient was not fully informed of these risks prior to performing these rc procedures. If you had been informed prior, you may have decided to remove #14 instead of root canaling it, had the implant placed in healthy bone and never had to deal with situation. I am really sorry to be the one to tell you this at this late stage of everything.





Quote:
Originally Posted by dwnjef View Post
Bryanna, thank you for your information thus far. I'm trying to understand this fully so I can make an informed decision...You are saying that I need to have the infected tooth removed in order to be free of infection...but that I did remove #14 and right after that extraction procedure, I get an infection in a tooth that has never had any issues whatsoever. I don't even have a filling in # 13 and now it is presenting as infected. If I remove #13, what's to stop the infection from spreading to #12 or #11?
__________________
Bryanna

***I have been in the dental profession for 4 decades. I am an educator and Certified Dental Assistant extensively experienced in chair side assisting and dental radiography. The information that I provide here is my opinion based on my education and professional experience. It is not meant to be taken as medical advice.***
Bryanna is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-10-2016, 07:15 PM #7
neesterneester neesterneester is offline
Newly Joined
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1
5 yr Member
neesterneester neesterneester is offline
Newly Joined
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 1
5 yr Member
Default

Hi dwnjef,

I know this thread is from a while ago but I'm in pretty much the exact same situation right now (e.g., tooth #14 had root canal 5 years ago, it failed, had re-treatment, it failed, had extraction, had implant and now tooth #13 needs root canal or extraction).

I just wanted to see what you finally decided to do? This does seem like a never-ending nightmare right now and I'm not sure who to trust (oral surgeon, endodontist, etc.)

Thank you.
neesterneester is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-18-2016, 03:02 PM #8
caroline2 caroline2 is offline
N/A
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Posts: 3,313
8 yr Member
caroline2 caroline2 is offline
N/A
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Posts: 3,313
8 yr Member
Default

Coconut Oil and Tooth Decay

My whole mouth environment has changed since I started making my own coconut oil toothpaste about 2 yrs now. Grape Seed Extract also has kept my mouth/gums so much healthier. And, of course, cutting WAY BACK on sugars/refined carbs.

The Oil of Oregano that I add to my toothpaste keeps infections away.
caroline2 is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Gum infection adjacent to socket post wisdom tooth extraction Bewarethegeek Dentistry & Dental Issues 30 10-25-2015 11:04 AM
Tooth Extraction and pain in adjacent tooth lotta Dentistry & Dental Issues 5 10-01-2014 11:19 PM
Root canals, extraction & 'health mystery' dr teeth Dentistry & Dental Issues 29 10-23-2013 01:43 PM
RSD and Tooth Decay (needing root canals) kathy d Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD and CRPS) 2 11-02-2011 01:41 PM
3 failed root canals, jawbone infection - advice please! DC02 Dentistry & Dental Issues 21 10-07-2011 11:16 AM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:51 AM.

Powered by vBulletin • Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

vBulletin Optimisation provided by vB Optimise v2.7.1 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
 

NeuroTalk Forums

Helping support those with neurological and related conditions.

 

The material on this site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment
provided by a qualified health care provider.


Always consult your doctor before trying anything you read here.