i had a root cannal years ago, they put it a cap or whatever into the root. in january 2010 that crown or cap broke off inside the root leaving a hole/shell type thing. now i am having major pain inside the hole and there is some bleeding when i clean out the hole so i can just place the tooth back in place, held in by my splint which i wear all the time except when i eat. is this now an infection? i feel throbbing inside and outside on the gum, it also feels like it is starting to go up into my right cheek to my eye. what do i need to do? should i get into my dentist to get antibiotics right away? thank you for your time
– Brenda from Alberta
Brenda,
I’m having trouble visualizing what you are explaining here. But from your description of this pain and where it is coming from, it sounds like a tooth infection and you need to see your dentist as soon as you can.
When a root canal filling is exposed to saliva over a period of weeks, it can wash out the cement that holds it in place and open up the tooth to become infected again. That could be what has happened here. When you have the root canal treatment first done, the dentist usually puts a temporary filling material in the tooth to protect it. That’s important, that this temporary filling stays in place. Or, if you have a permanent filling or a crown put on over the root canal treatment and that breaks or comes off so that the root canal filling material is exposed to saliva, you need to get back to your dentist within a few days to get that fixed, or your tooth will get re-infected.
And pain and swelling in the upper jaw can easily travel to your eye or even your brain. That’s not something you want to mess with. And remember that antibiotics can be used to help bring the infection under control, but when you’re talking about an infected tooth, antibiotics will never cure the situation. The tooth needs to be fixed or the infection will come back and when it comes back it will possibly be resistant to the antibiotics. Get these infected teeth taken care of properly.
– Dr. Hall
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.
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