infected tooth extracted, now infection has returned!
 

I'll try and keep it brief

Root canal failed, referred to endodentist who redid it. On this day lump appeared above tooth and in a lot of pain. This never went away. Endodentist did not care, went to normal dentist who said it was healing. 6 months later pain worse and lump was now huge and leaking out some sort of pus. Begged dentist to extract and he eventually did reluctantly (and said he believed pain was in my head)

2 days later lump and pain were gone and i felt 100% better, had been fainting and vomiting but was now back to full health.

Well fast forward one year, was feeling ill the other day and then i noticed lump was back! (same area above the missing tooth space) and is leaking out pus.

Im reluctant to go back to dentist after him not believing me about pain and saying lump was probably something else like sinuses or saliva glands (did go to GP by the way and she said he was wrong). Now he will say i told you so and not help me. The thing is lump did go away 2 days after extraction having been there for 6 months so it must have been related to the infected tooth. Right?

Hi Ruby,

Yes, that infection causing the fistula is most likely related to the infected root canaled tooth. To help you understand this better.... once a tooth is infected there is no procedure that can cure the infection within the tooth. Root canal therapy does not "cure" the infection .... it just somewhat removes some of the diseased nerve tissue within the large visible canals. The bacteria that remains in the tooth continues to fester and spread beyond the tooth. So this infection has been brewing since the day the tooth became infected or on the day that the first root canal was done.

It is typical for a fistula (lump) to form above an upper tooth, below a lower tooth, on most root canaled teeth at some time or another. This fistula is the result of the infection spreading into the jaw bone, tunneling a path through the bone out through the gum tissue. Similar to a deep cystic pimple on your skin. This infection is deep into the bone and is spreading .... so it is not just in this visible lump.

This has most likely re occured because the dentist who removed the tooth may not have removed the periodontal ligament that held the tooth in the bone or debrided (scraped) the infection from the bone at the time of that surgery. So although the original source of the infection (the tooth) has been removed, the diseased bone and tissue was left behind.

This can be a serious infection. The treatment for this is surgical debridement accompanied by antibiotic therapy. It is best to see an oral surgeon for this procedure and certainly one that you have not seen yet. Do not have a general dentist treat this infection.

I would urge you to take care of this soon.

Please let us know how you're doing!
Bryanna

PS.... You did very well at explaining this and thanks for keeping it brief and sticking to the facts.... makes it a whole lot easier to read through and reply :)

QUOTE=Ruby12345;997621]I'll try and keep it brief

Root canal failed, referred to endodentist who redid it. On this day lump appeared above tooth and in a lot of pain. This never went away. Endodentist did not care, went to normal dentist who said it was healing. 6 months later pain worse and lump was now huge and leaking out some sort of pus. Begged dentist to extract and he eventually did reluctantly (and said he believed pain was in my head)

2 days later lump and pain were gone and i felt 100% better, had been fainting and vomiting but was now back to full health.

Well fast forward one year, was feeling ill the other day and then i noticed lump was back! (same area above the missing tooth space) and is leaking out pus.

Im reluctant to go back to dentist after him not believing me about pain and saying lump was probably something else like sinuses or saliva glands (did go to GP by the way and she said he was wrong). Now he will say i told you so and not help me. The thing is lump did go away 2 days after extraction having been there for 6 months so it must have been related to the infected tooth. Right?[/QUOTE]

ah ok thanks that makes sense

Have made an appointment for 3 weeks at regular dentist hopefully he will refer me to an oral surgeon

its just odd that area was ok for a whole year

Hi Ruby,

Is there any way to see the dentist sooner? Three weeks is a long time to go with this type of infection.

It is not odd to have the fistula re occur a year later if the area was not cleaned out thoroughly when the tooth was removed. Symptoms pertaining to dental problems do not often show themselves until the problem is advanced.

Bryanna

no he's in hospital himself. Ive tried other dentists but emergency fee is too much

is there anything i can do in the meantime to stop infection getting worse?

Hi Ruby
 

I hope you can get to see the oral surgeon sooner than three weeks. You will get well all the sooner. Take care, ginnie

Hi Ruby,

You can rinse 3-4 times a day with warm salt water which at this point will only keep plaque and food debris from irritating the area. There really isn't anything that you can do to halt the spread of this infection and if it is draining that means you are swallowing it. So this really should not wait to be treated. Is there any way you could work out a payment arrangement with another OS office? This really should not wait.

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

I did see the dentist and convinced him to refer me to the oral surgeon at the hospital, which he has, but the waiting list for initial assessment is 3 months!

Im really worried about leaving it this long, could i get septicemia or something like that?

Hi Ruby
 

I think Bryanna will agree with this one, three months down the road is a long time to live with an infection. anyway they could see you sooner? I hope that they would consider this. ginnie:hug:

Hi Ruby,

Is the lump still there and draining? Did the dentist put you on antibiotics?

Yes, generally 3 months is really too long to wait when there is an active oral infection.

Bryanna