I Have a Failed Root Canal Treatment

I had a root canal treatment about three years so, but because of some pain, I recently found out that the root canaled tooth is not only fractured, but it also has an abscess. The oral surgeon I went in to see about this told me that it would be three weeks until he can extract the tooth. I am in a lot of pain. While he has offered me a prescription for pain medication, I am not sure I want to be on a strong pain killer that long. Plus, I’m worried about this infection spreading. Can you tell me if I should try to find a different oral surgeon?

Adeline

Dear Adeline,

I would not wait. You are right that this infection could spread. That is not what you are going to want. We consider abscessed teeth a dental emergency. You will want to address it as soon as possible. If you think about how close your jaw is to your heart, lungs, and brain, you will not want to allow any infection to spread.

The good news is you do not have to use an oral surgeon. Almost all dentists can do extractions. Because of the amount of pain you are in, I would recommend seeing a dentist who offers dental sedation options. There is no reason for you to go through any more pain with this situation. With a sedation dentist, you could literally sleep through the procedure if you wanted to.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Steven Collins.