Trip to the Dentist

[Tacoma]

I went both ways... no, not like that!

My very last molar way in the back needed a root canal, but I had it pulled, as there was not much tooth to drill into anyway-- my old dentist was a butcher and hogged out the filling too much.
Another molar, in the middle, and hogged out from fillings over the years by the same butcher, needed a root canal, and since that one is somewhat important I did it. In about an hour I'm going to get the final cap on it and be done.

and yes, I do so love spending a grand on a tooth. I could have had Rockwells! Grrr.

 

[Floppy Hat]

Well here we are...Two years later and the same tooth is giving me problems again. I have now developed a large blister like bump on my gum immediately below the root canaled tooth. I guess you could call it a pusstual. I imagine it is full of infection and I have debated popping it myself.

It hurts when you push on it, but more than anything it is extremely annoying. I also don't think it can be good to have all the infection setting against my teeth. So I will be back in the dentist's chair this morning. Hopefully the tooth really is dead this time because I doubt he will numb it.

I've probably spent more money on this tooth over the last two years than I have spent on my jeep.

 

[I Lean]

Well here we are...Two years later and the same tooth is giving me problems again. I have now developed a large blister like bump on my gum immediately below the root canaled tooth. I guess you could call it a pusstual. I imagine it is full of infection and I have debated popping it myself.

It hurts when you push on it, but more than anything it is extremely annoying. I also don't think it can be good to have all the infection setting against my teeth. So I will be back in the dentist's chair this morning. Hopefully the tooth really is dead this time because I doubt he will numb it.

I've probably spent more money on this tooth over the last two years than I have spent on my jeep.

Nice. Maybe you need a new dentist?

 

[reddevil]

Sound like you need a trip to the Endodontist. They can do surgery were they cut out the end of the root, and that ends any chance of future infection. I think alot of time Dentists should refer their root canals right to a Endodontist, 'cause they seem to have such a hard time getting it right. That being said, I just got a root canal done yesterday by my Dentist.

 

[dunatic67]

I spoke with a dental surgeon a couple years ago and we got onto the root canal subject. He didn't have much good to say about them, or amalgum fillings.
He told me NEVER to let my wife have a root canal. Root canal on right side of mouth = breast cancer in the right breast. He said it is like a 99% thing and you will never hear anything from the ADA about it. He said the roots in your teeth are so porous that whatever the dentist uses to seal the root will leach into your body continually.
Pull the tooth?

 

[notajeep]

I just got back from the dentist. The tooth all the way back on top had been giving me pains in Moab. There the dentist told me that it was infected, needed a root canal and a crown. For 2k.... So I told him to just pull it. He gave me 7 shots and then put a little pressure on it.








IT HURT!!!!!!!! I litterly jumped up out of the chair. And for a moment thought about popping the dentist right in the mouth. I have never before or since had pain like that.
Fast forward 3 months... the tooth has started to bother me again. And I find out that my wifes couson is a dentist here in Logan. 30 minutes and $158 later my tooth is pulled and I am finally pain free!! I even got to keep the tooth.. Anybody want pics?? It is HUGE.
That is all.
Dan

 

[Milner]

I even got to keep the tooth.. Anybody want pics?? It is HUGE.
That is all.
Dan

No thanks....I am all too familar with what they look like

 

[DevinB]

Sound like you need a trip to the Endodontist. They can do surgery were they cut out the end of the root, and that ends any chance of future infection. I think alot of time Dentists should refer their root canals right to a Endodontist, 'cause they seem to have such a hard time getting it right. That being said, I just got a root canal done yesterday by my Dentist.

If you're already complaining about dentist prices, don't go to the endodontist! There's a reason they make a substantial amount more $$$ than a dentist.

 

[reddevil]

If you're already complaining about dentist prices, don't go to the endodontist! There's a reason they make a substantial amount more $$$ than a dentist.

What, was I complaining about dentist prices? I'm not sure if this comment was directed at me or the thread in general. I know that the Endodontist is more expenesive. But 1 trip is cheaper than 3 to the dentist.

 

[Skylinerider]

This thread makes me REALLY not want to go the dentist for my checkup today.

 

[DevinB]

What, was I complaining about dentist prices? I'm not sure if this comment was directed at me or the thread in general. I know that the Endodontist is more expenesive. But 1 trip is cheaper than 3 to the dentist.

I was referring to the thread in general.

 

[reddevil]

My teeth hurt.

 

[Floppy Hat]

Sorry I didn't get a chance to update everyone yesterday. I am sure everyone was is suspense.

After taking an x-ray the dentist said, "Oh, this isn't good." Which was certainly reassuring.

We discussed some options and about 5 minutes later the tooth was out. So after four years of dealing with this tooth...putting up with pain...paying to have it fixed...complaining about it...it is now gone. Probably the worst investment I've ever made, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses and get out.

Once the tooth was out, it was easy to see why it caused so many problems. The extremely vertical nature of the roots resulted in a tiny "groove" at the base of the tooth that was a straight shot to the bone directly below the base of the tooth. The dentist said he had never seen a tooth with that type of root structure. The groove resulted in my "oral fluids" ending up under my tooth in an area that despite my religous brushing and flossing was never clean. So after years of this I now have some significant bone loss in the area where this tooth was.

The dentist is going to give me some time to heal and eventually build a super crown that will go on the tooth in front of the space and extend back to to cover the space. This should work as long as I get some bone regeneration to fill in the area of bone loss.

In a way I am disappointed that the tooth is gone, but I wasn't going to put more time and money into some heroic effort to try to save the tooth. I just wish that the problem would have been discovered two dentists and a thousand dollars ago.

Yea, maybe endodontists are the way to go. :-\