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Dentist is Refusing to Remove Her Tooth

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I have been doing a considerable amount of dental work and feel like I was on a roll getting my teeth back in shape. Three crowns, two fillings, one first time root canal treatment, and one root canal retreatment. The root canal treatment (the new one) still doesn’t feel quite right. Now I find out that I have an infected (and impacted) wisdom tooth that is near the root canal treatment. My dentist wants to remove the wisdom tooth, which I am totally down with, but I want to remove both the wisdom tooth and the tooth that recently had a root canal. My dentist is refusing to take out the second tooth. I’m willing to wait until I can do both. Can you give me any advice on how I can convince him?

Ebony

Dear Ebony,

Woman holding her jaw with TMJ pain

 

I can tell that you are working hard to get your teeth in good shape. That is wonderful. As to the tooth that recently had the root canal, my guess is that your dentist does not want to remove it, is because there is not an infection there and it is a healthy tooth. If it were infected, an x-ray would show that. Plus, he makes more money by removing it. The only reason for him not to is his integrity. That is something to be grateful for.

I would not put off getting this infected wisdom tooth extracted. Dental infections are serious and will spread. If it is a lower tooth, your throat could swell up and block your breathing passage. If it’s an upper tooth the infection will be quite close to your brain. You don’t want something that could have been easily dealt with by your dentist to become something that is life-threatening.

Call your dentist and schedule something as soon as possible. My guess is the pain you are experiencing by the root canaled tooth is likely referred pain from your wisdom tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Patel.

Is My Dentist Trying to Scare Me?

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I had a toothache and finally broke down and went to the dentist. He said the tooth was infected. He provided me with an antibiotic and told me to reschedule for an appointment in a week for the follow-up root canal treatment. I really don’t like going to the dentist and I felt better after the antibiotic. I canceled my appointment. The dentist called me later that night and said that I needed to schedule that follow-up treatment or I could get into real trouble. He told me the infection could spread to my brain. Is he just trying to scare me to get me back there?

Jack

Dear Jack,

Man grabbing his jaw in pain

I do not think your dentist is trying to scare you. Maybe he is trying to give you a picture of the gravity of the situation. The reason you felt better while taking the antibiotics is it held back the infection and helped your body fight it. However, it did not heal it. The only way to truly get rid of a tooth infection is for the dentist to physically remove the infected pulp. That can be done in one of two ways. Either by a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction. When that doesn’t happen the infection returns after you run out of your antibiotic and will continue to spread. Your brain, heart, and lungs are close to your jaw. I believe your dentist is concerned that without treatment you will end up with a life-threatening infection. I would not put this off. You can easily have a dental infection blow up on you.

I have often found that patients who avoid getting dental care usually have an underlying dental anxiety from bad experiences. If that is you, I have great news for you. There is a way to anxiety-free/pain-free dental care. You will just need to see a dentist who offers dental sedation options. If you need a lot of work done, seeing someone who offers oral conscious sedation will allow you to sleep through your appointment while getting all your work done.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Patel.

Her Dentist is Doing This Wrong

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I had a root canal treatment done several years ago that had recently started hurting again. I went to see my dentist who did an x-ray and realized it was reinfected. He did another root canal treatment and sent me home with some pain meds and an antibiotic. The tooth started to feel better after a few days, but now it is hurting again. I called the dental office and they spoke with the dentist who said some people take longer to heal than others. The pain seems to be getting worse but he wants me to give it three more weeks. I am now out of pain meds and in agony. I don’t think I can last that long. Should I be worried about this or is he right and it just needs more time?

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

Female patient in need of emergency dentist

 

No, I don’t want you to wait. Something isn’t right here, especially if you started to feel better but then it began to hurt again. This means the infection is back to being active. Your dentist should have recognized that. The fact that he did not tells me that he does not understand root canal treatments very well. When a root canal treatment fails, the successive treatments have less of a chance of succeeding.

I think you need to see a root canal specialist to give yourself the best chance. They are called endodontists. When you call, tell them everything you told me. I think they will consider it a dental emergency and get you in sooner. I still have hope that with a specialist you can save your tooth. If it turns out you cannot, then it will have to be extracted. If that happens you will want to replace it so the adjacent teeth don’t shift or tip into the empty space. This can throw off your bite and lead to TMJ Disorder.

The best tooth replacement is a dental implant. However, that is an advanced procedure. I would make sure your dentist has post-doctoral training in dental implants. If he doesn’t, go to another dentist who does for your replacement.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Patel.

Can a Tooth Infection Spread to a Salivary Gland?

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I’m helping my adult daughter with some research. She had a root canal treatment a little over a year ago. Since then, she’s had two salivary gland infections. Her doctor cannot figure out the cause and she’s been miserable every time this happens. I am wondering if it is possible that something is leaking from her root canal treatment and causing the salivary gland infection. They are in the same area. Have you heard of this?

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

Woman holding her jaw with TMJ pain

 

I’m sorry your daughter has been having so much trouble. Any type of tooth infection can spread to other parts of the body, including the salivary glands. This is in part why they are often considered dental emergencies. If the root canal treatment has failed, that would mean the infection has resurfaced. However, just doing an x-ray should reveal that right away.

My recommendation is that she see her dentist and ask him to x-ray the root canaled tooth. If there is an infection there it will show up. If there is not an infection there, then it will not be the cause of her salivary gland infection.

If her root canal treatment has failed, she should be aware that each successive retreatment has a lower chance of success. That doesn’t mean it won’t succeed, just that the percentages are lower. This is because sometimes there are canals that just cannot be reached. Each tooth is different and the canals are unique. Some are at angles that both hide them and make them impossible to completely clean out.

If that happens, she may end up having to have the tooth extracted. That’s not ideal and would be considered a last resort. If that does happen, I would recommend a dental implant as the best replacement possible.

This blog is brought to you by Gross Pointe Woods Dentist Dr. Patel.

She Needs to Get a Second Opinion

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I will admit to being a bit afraid of going to the dentist. But, a few weeks ago, I started getting pain in a tooth. I finally bit the bullet and scheduled an emergency appointment with a dentist. He did an x-ray and found that there is a cavity in a back tooth, which already has a filling. He said there is only 10% of the tooth viable and he doesn’t think he can save it. He wants to extract it and then schedule me for a dental implant procedure. I have to tell you this absolutely terrifies me. Is there another option?

Elle

Dear Elle,

Man grabbing the side of his jaw in obvious pain and in need of a dentist

 

I think you need to get a second opinion. If your tooth were actually that far gone, you would not need an x-ray to be able to tell. If only 10% of the tooth was viable, you would be able to see it with the naked eye. In fact, I am fairly certain that your filling would have caved in on itself. I am having some doubts about the motives of this dentist. While most are ethical, every once in a while, as in every profession, you run into a dud or worse. I suspect you have one of those.

I want to address something else I think will help you. You mentioned having dental anxiety, which has kept you from the dentist. You should know that you are not alone in feeling like this. There are dentists who are completely sympathetic to your situation and provide a means for fearful patients to have a solution to give you an anxiety and pain-free dental appointment.

Because of that,  when you look for your second opinion dentist, do a search for a sedation dentist. They are used to treating patients with dental anxiety and have medication that can relax you while you are in the dental chair. Go ahead and schedule another emergency appointment but this time with a different dentist. When you do, don’t tell them who the first dentist was or what their diagnosis was. You want it to be a completely blind second opinion.

This blog is brought to you by Grosse Pointe Woods Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Patel.