Dr. Hall,
I have had an infection in a tooth on the right upper side of my mouth for about 3 years after I had a root canal treatment. It does leak pus and leave a nasty taste in my mouth. I also noticed that the jaw bone seems to be getting larger and in my cheekbone also. and I feel dizzy sometimes. Is the infection getting bigger and what should I do?
– Lisa in Massachusetts
Lisa,
It sounds like you have a failed root canal and need to get this tooth treated further. You’ll need to see a root canal specialist. What happened was that after your original root canal treatment, the infection was never cleared up and has been there all this time and has now progressed to where it is swelling inside the bone and also affecting your body, because the bacteria are producing toxins that are getting into your blood stream.
The nasty taste would come from the infection leaking into your mouth from a hole in the bone.
Treatment options will be either to re-treat the infected tooth by re-doing the root canal, or to do some type of root canal surgery such as an apicoectomy.
While some general dentists do these procedures, they most usually refer these to root canal specialists (called endodontists) who have special training and equipment for handling these procedures.
Yes, it seems that the infection is getting bigger and it is affecting your whole body. Sometimes infections can spread from your teeth to your brain, so it’s important to get them taken care of.
– Dr. Hall
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About David A. Hall
Dr. David A. Hall was one of the first 40 accredited cosmetic dentists in the world. He practiced cosmetic dentistry in Iowa, and in 1990 earned his accreditation with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is now president of Infinity Dental Web, a company in Mesa, Arizona that does advanced internet marketing for dentists.