<p>Finally had the root canal permanent crown put in.</p>
<p>The dentist had to use two cords to separate the gums from the tooth as the crown was below the gumline. A bit of pain but certainly less than drilling. The crown was higher than the temp so he removed some material until the problem went away. He also adjusted the other crown and that feels a lot better now. There is still some soreness in the bone underneath which I can feel if I grab the tooth and push or pull it but I had a sandwich and eating was fine. I will test eating something harder tonight.</p>
<p>So things feel a lot better now. The temp crown was coming out several times a day and I just put it back in after cleaning it each time. Of course this whole ordeal was preventable. Next up: fix a chip. Should be a piece of cake compared to the last three months.</p>
<p>My H has been through the temp crown falling out many times. When D was born, he had no front tooth because of it!! The glue used for some of the temps is weaker so that it is easier to remove (at least it sure seems like it). Usually his would fall off when we were not near our home or dentist or on a holiday. We once got some glue in a drugstore that held better than others, but that was years ago, and was out of town to boot. </p>
<p>Hope you get better and can put this behind you. I’m putting crowns on my list of things not to do.</p>
<p>So there I was googling around about extractions and what should pop up but my beloved CC on that very subject. I know it’s an old thread but very pertinent to me. Got a toothache last Wednesday; went to the dentist Thursday who sent me to the endodotist Saturday morning. Luckily the pain pretty much went into hiding, partly thanks to Advil I guess. I went in thinking I would get a root canal but in the end decided to probably get an extraction instead.</p>
<p>Per the endodontist, there’s some decay under a very old filling; he can’t tell how far down it goes. There’s also decay under the gum line. He said the big question with a root canal would be tooth restoration; there might not be enough for a crown etc. The more we discussed it, the more we tilted toward extraction. It’s an upper second molar; I had my wisdom teeth out decades ago; the lower molar does make contact with my first upper molar. So tomorrow I’ll talk to the dentist and presumably goodbye tooth.</p>
<p>I know it’s the right choice but I don’t really understand why the decay wasn’t identified in my regular dental visits and x-rays. The dead nerve I understand. Maybe I’ll ask for a 3% discount on all future cleanings. Just kind of venting now - guess I didn’t repent enough last week at services.</p>
<p>I have been underwhelmed by dentists for years. Some find problems in every tooth and believe they all need to be fixed. Some find nothing for years. I don’t get it – while there may be different treatment options, isn’t the diagnosis mostly black and white??</p>
<p>No offense to dentists on CC. You are the exception that proves the rule.</p>
<p>It is often hard to see decay under fillings on xrays. The xray is a 2-dimensional film of a 3-D object. A filling or crown appears as solid white on the film and the dentist can’t see anything that gets blocked out by the restoration. Often when the decay shows under the filling, it is already large. Not necessarily a problem with the dentist.</p>
<p>Marilyn: decay at or under the gumline on upper second molars makes it difficult to do a great, long term restoration. Your endodontist gave you good information; given the circumstances that tooth would be best extracted. However, it is your tooth and if you want to save it, that is always an option, provided your dentist is willing to do it.</p>
<p>My dentist has a machine where she makes the crown in office. So having a crown becomes a one visit deal, a very long visit, but still. It is all designed by her and a computer and the info sent to the machine that then carves the crown out of a lump of porcelain (I think that is what it it). They let me watch one time and it was fascinating. She fits the crown then it is glazed and glued in permanently. I just had a canine crowned and it is one of the prettier crowns I have had (I have a lot - really bad teeth). </p>
<p>The funny thing is that her office is in a little podunk town of just a couple of thousand out in the middle of nowhere. We live in a much larger town (about 27,000 lol) about 15 miles away (100 miles from the nearest big city). I really disliked the 2 dentists I had tried in our town (very pushy and expensive and not very good) so had basically stopped going until I finally had to. When several people recommended the young dentist in the next town I decided to give her a try. She is probably one of the best dentists I have been to and it is usually pretty painless even when having root canals.</p>
<p>I am in the midst of having implants which has not been a pleasant experience at all, but so far have not got beyond dealing with the oral surgeon so the dentist has not been involved other than referring me to the surgeon.</p>
<p>On the tooth extraction bit–I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth (I’m 24) and had been experiencing a bit of jaw pain around the only one that has given me any trouble. I just moved and decided to get it checked out and also find a dentist at the same time. After x-rays and a bit of chatting, dentist said that my top wisdom tooth has been smashing the bit of gum covering my bottom tooth, causing it to get inflamed and occasionally infected. Basically gave me the choice of a referral to an oral surgeon to get the bottom one removed (since the bit of gum would have to be cut off) or to get the top one yanked and see if the bottom one comes out…since the other 3 came in straight with no issues, doesn’t see a reason that this one wouldn’t. I said fine, let’s do it…2 rounds of Novocaine and some pliers later, I’m missing a top wisdom tooth. Sent home with instructions to eat normally, no prescription painkillers, no antibiotics (this was Wednesday)</p>
<p>FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS THAT ARE HOLY…COULDN’T YOU HAVE GIVEN ME SOME TYLENOL 3?!? I’ve been working with a double dose of Advil every 4-5 hours, and it helps but man. My teeth weren’t even impacted, I’d hate to ever get another tooth yanked and I’m supposed to get another wisdom tooth removed eventually. The pain has subsided some within the last 72 hours, but there’s still pain in opening my jaw all the way and the gum around the socket is sore/in pain/ouchies.</p>
<p>Thanks, dentmom, I didn’t really think the dentist should have seen it but was just grousing. I did have the tooth out on Thursday and the oral surgeon assured me that (1) I could not have done anything to prevent it and (2) it was the right choice. It went very quickly - out in 2 or 3 minutes even with the tooth breaking during extraction (which apparently proved it was really in bad shape).</p>
<p>I’ve had very little pain; I did have a prescription filled but it was making me drowsy so just switched to Advil yesterday afternoon and am fine. I think most of the residual pain is from pressure on my jaw; no worse than after a filling. So all’s well that ends well. Although I’m avoiding caramel apples and popcorn for the time being!</p>
<p>Marilyn: glad it all went well, sounds like you are on the mend.</p>
<p>Soccergurl: sorry your mouth is sore, but honestly not so unexpected. I rarely tell patients back to normal life that quickly. Light soft diet, take it easy, 3-4 Advil every 4-6 hours as needed, ice as needed (though too late for you now) for the first few days. No Abx unless swollen or running a fever. I paint a worst case scenario: if it happens, you are prepared, if not so bad, you think I work miracles. You will eventually heal…</p>
<p>@dentmom I expected worse, but then based on what my dentist said I kind of rolled back and wasn’t expecting much at all. It’s definitely better, I’m off Advil and eating mostly normally (although still only on my ‘good’ side). No jumbo cheeseburgers, but I have done pizza, chicken, and bacon. Only soreness is when I try to open my jaw beyond a normal amount and some radiation in to other teeth, and I suspect that’s normal. Luckily, I heard less of a chance of dry socket since it’s the top one and not the bottom one.</p>
<p>I have a decent pain tolerance, it just gets to you after awhile when you can’t find relief even if you DO expect it.</p>
<p>soccergurl: you sound better today. Dry socket very rare on top, jaw sore due to multiple injections, plus maybe you were propped open for the procedure. It’s only been a few days and you have an open wound: I would say you are doing very well!</p>
<p>@dentmom–Nope, no propping! I had 3 or 4 novocaine injections–roof of my mouth site is definitely still sore and stings occasionally. I had a tiny slit made on my bottom gum as well, but that is already well on its way to healing (I can actually see it!). Random question–when are straws and the other no-no’s (carbonated drinks, rice) okay? I had alcohol last night, as I was told that’s okay after a couple of days</p>
<p>Straws are okay after 2 days. Rice and soda: not usually problems, but keep socket clean so rice doesn’t collect and cause infection in the area.</p>
<p>Arggh - a few days ago I had a mild toothache so went to the dentist yesterday and learned that another tooth is so badly damaged it has to be extracted, and in this case I should get an implant. It’s the back lower molar in the opposite corner of the mouth from the tooth I had extracted less than six months ago. The dentist said it was a resorption and could find no logical explanation for why it happened (totally enclosed inside the tooth). And it didn’t show up on the last X-rays.</p>
<p>So now of course I’m really worried that all my teeth will fail one by one. Does anyone know if I should be concerned for the future? My dentist seems to think this was a rapid development. Should I get a new dentist or find a way to identify future problems sooner?</p>
<p>Stuff can happen fairly quickly - there are warning signs but sometimes you can mistake them for the flu or something else. This happened to me last year - I thought that I had a very long cold and it turned out to be a tooth infection.</p>
<p>I don’t know what a resorption is - it may be worth a second opinion if there is some underlying cause that could result in more problems. In my case, I know exactly what caused my two RCs.</p>
<p>It certainly couldn’t hurt to get a second opinion. Don’t jump the gun and get a new dentist unless you have other reasons you aren’t happy with him/her.</p>
<p>BCEagle91 --</p>
<p>I was having trouble with my sinuses for a couple of years. When I had a root canal done, the endodontist said the tooth had been infected for a very long time and had spread to my sinuses. After the root canal, no more sinus problems. This happens with upper molars, not lower ones, because the root tips sometimes extend up into the maxillary sinuses.</p>
<p>DH has a dentist friend back home and is going to get his opinion on all this. I read somewhere that resorption could be related to an autoimmune issue. I also have alapecia areata (hair loss) which is caused by an autoimmune problem. I wonder if they’re related somehow?</p>
<p>I’m getting it done tomorrow, including preparing the socket with bone grating material I guess. I only hope there are no residual problems by the time I go on my cruise in 2 1/2 weeks!</p>