Originally Posted by Bryanna

Hi Liamleon,

Sorry you're having dental problems.
Lingering pain is common after a difficult extraction and more often if the tooth had been root canaled previously because the bone and surrounding area had been infected since the initial infection in the tooth. Root canal therapy does not make a tooth or the bone healthy again. The rc procedure is done in an attempt to retain the tooth, not cure the problem.

Regarding the retainment of a piece of the tooth after an extraction .. that is rarely acceptable because depending on where it is, it can move up further into the sinus and/or it will be a constant source of inflammation and bacteria.

The dentist who did the extraction may have inadvertently pushed that piece of tooth pretty far up near or into the sinus cavity trying to retrieve it. Since routine dental xrays are 2 dimensional they can only pick up the location of the tooth remnant that is superficial. If it appears to be near the sinus, then a dental CT scan would help determine the exact location.

Ideally, the tooth remnant should be removed sooner than later before the bone starts to fill in making it more difficult to remove. Also, the longer it's present the more inflammation and bacteria will develop.

Your dentist is at fault for not removing the tooth in it's entirety. He should pay the oral surgery bills, CT scan and surgery to remove it. But if you wait to have it done, he may try to convince you that in spite of the remnant, all was well and something "new" developed.

Taking OTC pain meds daily is toxic to the kidneys and not in your best interest to do long term.

Hope this info is helpful to you and you're able to get it taken care of soon.
Bryanna

Originally Posted by Liamleon75#

Thanks for the help I have an appointment with my oral surgeon next month and will request the retained root is removed. Do you think that it’s the root that has been causing the on going pain?

Originally Posted by Bryanna

The retained root is a chronic irritant and source of inflammation, may also currently or become the source of a bacterial infection. Inflammation and infection in the jaw bone is not often apparent on a dental xray until it has become moderate or quite large. It can also be difficult to diagnose at this stage because that area of bone has not healed closed yet below the gum line and it will appear radiolucent (black), the same as an infection.

The sooner you have the root tip removed, the better.

Bryanna