Worried About Tooth Extraction or Root Canal?

[mischamoonlight]

Hi, back in November, I noticed a little pus filled spot beside my bottom back left tooth, one that had a root canal on it almost 20 years ago. I'm 34 F, and I went to the Dentist in December, near Christmas, and he said I had 2 options - a root canal or an extraction. Now, in fear I booked in with him to get a tooth extraction, because I was afraid of the infection, and it going to my brain and all that. My appointment wasn't until February of this year. Only reason is because an extraction was on the medical card (Ireland), but I rang back to rearrange a root canal, only they told me I needed a referral and it would cost €520. So I lost my appointment for the extraction because she had mistakenly put me down for a root canal before telling me how much it cost.

Anyway, their was a big mess up and both appointments were cancelled, so I had to ring back today to get a referral from my dentist to get a root canal done by an Endodontist. Well, I'm panicking now that I'll be leaving this infection longer and longer. Their hasn't been any puss for a long time now, it's been pretty clean, I don't have any pain whatsoever, and I have been taking way better care of my teeth than I use to do, and flossing as well (gently).

I know I may sound a bit silly, but I'm still panicking over the infection, as theirs still a little scar from where the spot filled with pus, it just doesn't fill very much anymore or at all. Sometimes, if I'm too rough with the toothbrush, it may bleed a little, but that is it. I don't get any pain. But I worry about the infection travelling to the rest of my body, and reading crap about it going to the brain really made me overthink about it. I don't mean to sound silly, its just what plays on my mind about this tooth thing.

It was my own fault messing up two appointments trying to change it to get a root canal that I have to wait a bit longer now, and the dentist seems so busy at the moment. My dentist is back on Tuesday, so I will find out when my referral will be. I'm hoping not long but I think because I messed up my appointments and now am waiting longer, I'm freaking out that the infection will come back but worse or travel elsewhere in my body.

Am I overreacting about it? I know I probably am, and that when I get my referral, I'll still be getting my root canal done soon (hopefully not months away). I don't know, my head is crammed with so much stress about it.

[Catkins]

I had a long standing infection in my gum for years. Every now and again it would become a little inflammed maybe, then settle down again. I didn't know it was there and the dentist didn't either as it only showed up on an x-ray done lower down. I had been having some sensitivity which was why they were looking into it. It was on the site where I had a root canal and a crown, so I had another root canal, it was fine for a couple of years and then became sensitive again so I had it out.

So basically I unknowingly walked around for years with an infection and I was OK. The dentist wasn't overly concerned about it either.

I had a little infection in another area of my gum a few weeks ago. My gum had a red swollen lump on it which eventually burst (I say eventually, but in all honesty I prodded it), I used salt water to rinse for a few days and it settled down. I had a check up last week and told my dentist and said it was absolutely fine now.

So I would say, rinse with salt water if there is any sign of it coming back and if it does contact your dentist. But in the meantime it will be fine. If the dentist had any concerns they would have pushed to have it done much sooner.

Hope that helps.

[mischamoonlight]

@Catkins Mine could have been there before I noticed it in November, but because I'm so hyper aware of any little change in my body, I go into immediate panic and worry. Hopefully when my dentist gets back to me on Tuesday with the referral for the root canal, that it won't take too long. I don't mind dentists, or the injections surprisingly none of that bothers me. The only thing I ask is not to use the cotton things in my mouth, and they always oblige. Other than that, getting root canals and stuff doesn't cause me any distress, so I'd rather save the tooth if its possible and get another root canal done on it, clean it and then hopefully it gets better. It will give me time to save to pay for it as well.

I just worried when I read in the Google searches about the infection going to your jaw, then to your brain and blood, that made me start thinking all sorts of terrifying stuff, but I monitor it, so any changes I'll know and I'm sure my dentist would give me another course of antibiotics to hold me over if the infection came back or got worse.

Thanks Catkins, I'm a worry wort :)

[Fishmanpa]

I just worried when I read in the Google searches about the infection going to your jaw, then to your brain and blood, that made me start thinking all sorts of terrifying stuff

:doh: So, what's the lesson here? :winks:

FMP

[mischamoonlight]

@Fishmanpa Oh, I know lol :blush:

[Phill2]

Every root canal I had ended up in an extraction a few years later.
Better off just getting it out to start with and save a lot of money.

[mischamoonlight]

@Phil2 Yeah, but if I can hold onto this tooth a little longer, I don't mind paying. It wouldn't matter here in Ireland, the price to get a false tooth or an implant is expensive anyway. It may have to come out anyway if they can't do another root canal, they'll look at it first and decide. So I probably don't have a choice until the Endodontist says yay or nay. So far though, its been holding up. I've had that root canal for 19 years, so its done me good, but I always take care of my teeth, so maybe that's helped.

[mischamoonlight]

Update: My dentist got me a referral to a Endodontist, but the price was extortionate, so I've had to ask him to find a cheaper alternative. The first referral was quoting over €1100 euro, which I simply can't stretch my finances too right now. So, I will hear back sometime next week with a new referral for somewhere a bit cheaper, as I rang and the receptionist said my dentist is checking with somewhere that will be a couple hundred euro less than the first one, which will be better.

It's not perfect, but if I can save this tooth I would prefer, as a root canal has a better success than an extraction if possible, and not wanting to lose bone density if I can help it. If not, and it needs to come out, then it has too, and my own dentist will do that. Then, I have to save for a very expensive Dental Bridge, but as I would need time to heal, it would give me time to save more.

Its been really stressful, and I've been really panicky about it. The spot that was beside it hasn't filled with any pus for a while now, its been very clean, and I've kept my oral hygiene top notch everyday, especially with flossing and keeping any food stuck in it. Since it appeared in November, their hasn't been any pain at all, unlike my mum who has a couple of rotten teeth that she needs removed and says their very painful.

Thankfully my dentist is just down the road from me, and if I need anything like an emergency or something, then I can go straight away without delay, I just always start freaking out whenever I read stuff on the medical sites stating ''if the infection spread etc etc etc, it can go to the brain''. Well, that just spirals me into a panic.

Anyway, thats whats happening as of now.

[mischamoonlight]

Update: Still waiting to hear back about a referral for the root canal, hopefully hearing from them tomorrow with a cheaper referral. It's not a guarantee they'll do the root canal, if not, its straight in to get the tooth extracted at my own dentist. If I don't hear anything tomorrow, then I'll have to get on to my own Dentist again and sort it out.

My tooth isn't painful, and the spot has gone down in size a lot, and very little to nothing in terms of puss. A little blood, but that happened when I accidentally pressed off it. I'm being very hygienic, twice a day, flossing and the occassional salt mouth rinse as well. Hope that helps for now, while I wait. I still get a bit anxious and panicky but just trying to keep a level head.

[mischamoonlight]

Got a bit of oozing today, so rinsed with some warm water and salt. Hopefully that helps, no pain though. Hasn't oozed in a while, was very very little.

[mischamoonlight]

Update: The specialist rang me today, and explained my xray, saying that I already have bone loss with the root canal, because apparently when I had it done 20yrs ago, according to her it wasn't a very good job. So, she said theirs a likely hood the tooth can't be saved, and the infection will keep coming back. So, I'm just going to get it removed. First thing in the morning, I'm ringing my own dentist and just getting it out. I'll save up for the bridge dental, thankfully it's all the way at the back. But if I can save my other teeth, I'll do my best by having this removed.

Should have just got it don't back in February, but I've been super stressed about the whole thing and panicking back and forth. If I start saving now, I'll be able to afford the bridge dental by September.

Feel really panicky about all this, don't know why, usually dentists don't bother me, but this has stressed me out to no end.

Anyway, that's the update, it's far too expensive to get two procedures just to get a root canal right now, so my better option is to remove my tooth.

Anyone gone through this? Is it really bad?

[mischamoonlight]

I'm having panic attacks again about infection. I don't know why, I was fine for a while, but as soon as it pops in my head about what I've read in the past, about infection in the blood and sepsis, I start panicking massively. I know I'll be ringing my dentist in the morning to arrange an appointment to get it out, but I keep thinking that its my fault for delaying it a few weeks by trying to get a root canal, which was pointless.

It's horrible being this panicky, especially about every thing. I'm not having any pain at all, and its a small pimple size spot beside the old root canal tooth, and it isn't filling up with pus much, but then my brain goes there ''what if its just travelling to the rest of my body now, what if its spreading all over and I get sepsis''. Thats where my brain is going tonight. I don't know why.

I've been having a terrible few months anyway.

[Scass]

It’ll be fine Mischa.
My OH got an infected tooth and he left it for ages, he was eventually in awful pain - like couldn’t sleep, eat pain! He went and had his tooth removed and then was fine! I was watching over him waiting for him to be in pain once the drugs wore off and he wasn’t a bit. I warned him about all sorts of things and he was fine. In fact knowing him , he probably chewed some toffee the day after.

So yeah, you’ll be fine and your worry about the blasted tooth will be gone. Xx

[mischamoonlight]

@Scass Haha sounds like me with the toffee. Yeah, I've honestly just been working myself up over and over. I think it's because I've never had a tooth removed as well, I always panic about getting something done.

I rang this morning, and the receptionist is bringing my file down to my dentist, so she'll get back to me and arrange an appointment. So, I'll just have to wait now and see when I'll be getting it done.

I'm rinsing with salt water every now and then, and keeping my teeth clean, so hopefully it'll be sorted soon. I think it's more the infection I'm worrying about, and the thoughts of it getting worse the longer I leave it, since this little spot turned up beginning of December. It's probably from reading all the stuff online about it spreading and going to the brain or causing Sepsis that's caused all this panic too.

[Scass]

The little spot hasn’t got worse, you’re doing a fine job of looking after yourself.

[mischamoonlight]

@Scass Thanks Scass, they got back to me, and my new appointment is 26th April, so nt too long, and they've also wrote me a prescription of antibiotics to keep if the infection flares up, just to get me over until my appointment. She's also out me down if any cancellation pops up too, which is good.

So a little over 5 weeks away, suppose its not that long away, and maybe their might be a cancellation earlier. Keep doing what I'm doing, hygiene wise and salt rinses, and if I need them, the antibiotics are there as precaution.

[Scass]

That all sounds positive.