Hi Pam,

Just to clarify so others reading your post do not get confused... the tooth that you had extracted had been root canaled 5 years prior to the extraction. The root canal procedure does not cure an infected tooth because as there is no access to the hundreds of tiny canals inside of the tooth that contain dead and infected nerve tissue. So for 5+ years that infected tooth was at minimum causing inflammation in that quadrant of your mouth. Chronic inflammation any place in the body, especially when it is associated with infection, is going to cause further and often long term problems. Removing the infected tooth was the only option you had to give your mouth a chance to heal and become healthy. However, there is no telling the extent of the problems that have occurred over that 5 year span. In addition to all that you've had and according to your most recent post still have a bruxism habit that has not been managed well.

Pam, I know this has been a very difficult situation for you and I know you just want to feel normal. So many people are in your same situation and so many more are yet to experience it because conventional dentistry does not inform people about the long term consequences of retaining root canaled teeth. If they were informed, some people would still opt to have the root canal but then there would be no surprise when problems occurred.

There is no easy solution and it is best to find a dentist who is honest and forthright about root canals so at least he can understand where the problems are stemming from and attempt to treat you accordingly.

Bryanna

Hi everyone, thanks for listening to all of what's going on with me and all your advice (especially you Bryanna!) So it's been awhile to update but here's what has been going on thus far: I had the bone scan completed near the end of December and the results came back clear with no infection in the bone. I'm unsure if this was a dental bone scan though.

So here I am the beginning of February and I am still experiencing pain and discomfort in that extraction area which was done in October 2014. The symptoms are much the same as before, like a tight heavy feeling in the area and what feels like a small lump right underneath it, it is sore but I think I'm so used to it as this point it's just second nature. At times, it is almost like a numbing feeling. And yes, Pam, for me it is the entire right mandible from the extraction area back that is tender. These feelings are the worst for me in the evenings for whatever reason. One small improvement that I have experienced since December was that I think some of the lymphnodes that were swollen have begun to come down, which I feel is a good sign. When I was at the height of my tooth infection and the whole mess, all the lymphnodes on my jaw and especially the back of my neck were so swollen, it was freaky. I didn't know what they were at first until my doctor explained they flair up when the body is fighting infection, well that made sense.

I'm unfortunately beginning to experience some toothache in the tooth opposite to the one I had extracted, so on my left side second back molar (no wisdom tooth). I'm not saying it has anything to do with the extraction, but I'm getting pretty nervous because it feels quite the darn same the way the other one did before I had the root canal done. It has started to bother me within the last couple days, it's like a bruise hurt almost, then this morning I had my coffee and with it, a bit of sensitivity. So I went in today to see the dentist. I thought I saw a hole/cavity on the side of my filling in that tooth, but she said it was just a stained area. After much thought and reviewing my previous x-rays, she decided to check the bite and it was really high on that side. So she adjusted it and sent me on my way.

I'm actually now in more discomfort than I was before and just plain frustrated at this point. I made an appointment for Saturday with the dentist who did the extraction before this new toothache happened. It was originally just supposed to be so she could take a look at how the extraction she did coming along and if I wanted to still be referred to an oral surgeon, she will do that for me. Now it looks like I'll be asking for her opinion on this new tooth issue as I always felt much better after a bite adjustment, not this much worse. Trying to stay positive and will update if I learn anything new in the next coming weeks!