I need some help. I had an accident which left me with damage to my chin and side of my face. I did see a dentist after being released from the ER. She decided not to do anything for at least two weeks. By then, the tooth was starting to turn dark. When she went to look at the tooth then, she only found dried blood and decided a root canal was not necessary. At that point, she thought I only needed a dental crown. She fit me with a temporary crown and then the permanent one a few weeks later. Not much after that, I ended up in serious pain and had an emergency root canal done at the same time she provided me with 5 days of amoxicillin. A week later the root canal was closed. I was given no pain meds and have had no relief this whole time. I’m two weeks out of the closed root canal and the dentist keeps telling me that some people take longer to heal than others. I’m in absolute agony and having the hardest time working. What do you recommend?
Callie
Dear Callie,
There is so much that was done wrong with this case. First, when the tooth started turning dark that was an indication a root canal treatment was needed. I don’t know what she thought the dried blood meant. Next, her choice of antibiotic when she finally did realize the tooth was infected was a poor one. Typically, for dental infections we use clindamycin. On top of that, the way she handled the antibiotic was ridiculously against most protocols. You would want the antibiotic to last until after the root canal treatment is closed off. That is the most dangerous time because there is no place for any infected pulp to go. Instead, she let the antibiotic run out and then closed the tooth. That makes no sense.
Now, you are stuck with an emergency tooth infection. It is NOT that you are taking longer to heal. I want you to call an endodontist (root canal specialist) right away. Let them know what is going on. They should be able to call you in the correct prescription antibiotic as well as some medicine to help with your pain. They will likely schedule you for a root canal retreatment because you should have been feeling better by now.
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