I have an impacted wisdom tooth and another tooth near it that has had a root canal. Here are my issues. The impacted wisdom tooth is infected and needs to come out. However, the root-canaled tooth has never felt right. I want him to remove both teeth at once, but he is absolutely refusing and will only remove the wisdom tooth. What should I do?
Marilyn
Dear Marilyn,
I would follow your dentist’s advice. Here is why. By extracting both your teeth instead of just the infected one, he would gain more money. If he is steering you away from that it tells me that he is both a man of integrity and that he sincerely thinks the tooth is better off there.
Unlike the wisdom tooth, if you were to extract the tooth with the root canal, it would require a replacement. This will cost you even more money. The best tooth replacement is a dental implant, which is expensive and requires surgery. Would you want to do that unnecessarily?
Why this Tooth Could be Bothering You
There are three reasons the tooth with the root canal treatment could be bothering you. The first is that it has re-infected. In that case, the correct treatment would be re-treatment, not an extraction. However, you said the tooth has never felt right, which tells me this isn’t the problem. A newly infected tooth would have other symptoms.
The second scenario is that the crown for the root canal isn’t seated properly. If it is seated too high, it can cause discomfort. Have your dentist adjust the crown and see if that helps.
Thirdly, you could be experiencing referred pain from the impacted wisdom tooth.
Don’t Ignore Dental Infections
If you insist on getting the root-canaled tooth extracted, I’m sure you could find a less reputable dentist to do it. One who only cares about how much money he or she brings in and not what is best for the patient. It’s your money and your mouth.
Whatever you decide, whether to find a different dentist or go with this dentist’s advice, I highly suggest you get this wisdom tooth extracted as soon as possible. You don’t want to mess around with dental infections. They are considered dental emergencies for a reason.
Your jaw is close to your heart, lungs, and brain. Like any infection, this will spread until it is properly treated. You don’t want it spreading to an area that will become life-threatening.
This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.