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Original poster

Any dentists around? Root canal nightmare.

13 replies

AgonyAgatha · 28/01/2023 19:01

I posted this in general gealth but it's not very busy on a Saturday night and I'm desperate for any advice.

I'm in complete agony please help!

I had a dental abscess in November. It never came to a head and appears to have been underneath the tooth (back molar lower jaw).

Had 2 courses of antibiotics before first part of root canal procedure was done in December - no anaesthetic needed as the nerves are dead inside the tooth and I didn't feel a thing.

But I had to take another course of antibiotics after this because the pain flared up again. It settled down but didn't quite disappear completely, (was about a 2 on a scale of 1-10).

Went in for the second part of the root canal procedure last week, and mentioned the ongoing niggling pain. Dentist cleaned it all out again and put another "temporary" filling in and made an appointment for the final part in a couple of months. Again, no pain during this except a tiny bit when I imagine they found the remaining niggling bit of nerve.

However, since then the pain has returned tenfold. I can't eat or sleep. I'm on prescription strength painkillers which hardly touch it. Had another course of antibiotics from the dentist but it barely had any effect. Back in the dentist on Tuesday coming so just suffering until then.

Dentist says xray is clear, no visible cracks or issues so not sure why it's so painful.

I don't understand how the dentist can open up the tooth with no anaesthetic and I can't feel a thing but now every tiny touch is agony. Could there be something wrong deeper in the gum under the tooth that isn't showing on xray? Do I just ask for them to remove the tooth and be done with it?

OP posts:
Inmy40 · 28/01/2023 19:09

I had a very similar thing. I was in agony and just asked him to pull the tooth out as I couldn’t take anymore. The tooth broke in half as he pulled it and so he thought there must have been a crack in there somewhere so it was never going to heal.

Original poster
AgonyAgatha · 28/01/2023 19:23

Thanks Immy40, it's awful isn't it? It's been so long of having varying levels of pain in this tooth I don't think I'd be sad to lose it anymore.

OP posts:
Wednesdayschildhasstubbedhertoe · 28/01/2023 19:31

Could it be bruising from the dental work?

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Wednesdayschildhasstubbedhertoe · 28/01/2023 19:32

Or could've damaged a nerve to a neighbouring tooth

CrescentMoons · 28/01/2023 19:33

I had this but the tooth had 4 roots and they were all infected. It was extensive. What antibiotics have you got?

Original poster
AgonyAgatha · 28/01/2023 19:35

Wednesdayschildhasstubbedhertoe · 28/01/2023 19:32

Or could've damaged a nerve to a neighbouring tooth

If it is, then it's only affecting the root canal tooth - teeth either side are not painful at all. Root canal tooth has gone from being slightly tender when pressure applied, to so painful I can't let anything touch it at all. It's just so odd because I know the nerve inside that tooth is dead and gone so it makes me think it's underneath it? But I'm not a dentist so what do I know lol!?

Not sure about bruising - it was a week and a half ago - surely should be getting better by now?

OP posts:
Original poster
AgonyAgatha · 28/01/2023 19:38

CrescentMoons · 28/01/2023 19:33

I had this but the tooth had 4 roots and they were all infected. It was extensive. What antibiotics have you got?

In November I had 5 days of amoxycillin and then 3 days of metronidazole. In December, 5 days of penicillin and then last week another 3 day course of metronidazole. (Sorry for any spelling errors)

OP posts:
Original poster
AgonyAgatha · 28/01/2023 19:39

Would 4 roots be visible on xray? Or when the tooth is open and the dentist is digging around inside it?

OP posts:
Nat6999 · 28/01/2023 19:39

It could be some more infection building up, I would be on the phone first thing on Monday & don't take no for an answer.

Hoardasurass · 28/01/2023 19:57

@AgonyAgatha If there was any lingering infection in the gum or jaw just working on the tooth can set it off again and it sounds like that's what has happened here.

There's a couple of options for trying to save the tooth which have varying degrees of success. The least likely to work would be more antibiotics and nothing else. They could replace your temporary filling with 1 that has an antibiotic mixed in with it plus antibiotics. But your best chance is removing the filling completely leaving the tooth open to drain with a 10 day course of strong antibiotics and regularly use of salt water as a mouthwash to help draw the infection out.
None of the above options are guaranteed to save the tooth and all involves quite a bit of time, money and most importantly pain and a good chance that you will lose the tooth anyway so I guess the question should be do you want to try and save the tooth or do you just want it gone.
I should say that abscesses don't always show up on the x rays btw

Original poster
AgonyAgatha · 28/01/2023 20:17

@Hoardasurass that gives me a lot to think about thank you. I'll talk to the dentist and see what they think. It's very helpful to my peace of mind to have talked this through with you all.

OP posts:
Deedoo · 03/09/2023 19:37

@AgonyAgatha can I ask what happened in the end

Deedoo · 03/09/2023 19:45

@Wednesdayschildhasstubbedhertoe does bruising settle

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