Re: haven't seen dentist in 7 years

From: Ron Wilson (rwilson290_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 11/12/04 

Date: 12 Nov 2004 07:00:48 -0800

"Dr Steve" <nospam@home.net> wrote in message news:<CWTjd.17997$G6.17408@newssvr15.news.prodigy.com>...
> >
> > Hi all,
> > Well on Saturday the tooth I'd had root canaled on Thursday started
> > aching. So I started taking aspirin and called my dentist who
> > promptly prescribed some penicillin for me. Is it normal for my tooth
> > to be hurting the way that it was? The tooth feels best right when I
> > wake up since it's been resting all night. However, if I go out to
> > dinner with my girlfriend or friends it starts to kill me by the time
> > I get home and I need to take more aspirin. There's also an ever so
> > slight swelling on the side that had the root canal. It's not getting
> > more swollen, but it's not getting less swollen either. My dentist
> > said, when he wrote the rx on Saturday, that it may take a day or two
> > for the penicillin to kick in. Is this normal?
> >
> >
> > Right now I have a temporary filling and the second half of my root
> > canal won't be till Friday. I might call him tomorrow touch base if
> > it's still hurting or swollen.
>
> Your description is not typical of most RCT, but frequent enough to be
> occasionally expected. Most RCT is done in one appointment today, but
> perhaps your tooth was weeping pus from the inside and needed time to
> "dry-up", which would be more likely to act up afterwards like you describe.
> Antibiotics typically take 2-3 days to show a big change in infections.
> Don't forget to take the entire prescription, even if your tooth seems
> better before then.
>
>
> ~+--~+--~+--~+--~+--
> Stephen Mancuso, D.D.S.
> Troy, Michigan, USA
> ....................................................
>
> This posting is intended for informational or conversational purposes only.
> Always seek the opinion of a licensed dental professional before acting on
> the advice or opinion expressed here. Only a dentist who has examined you
> in person can diagnose your problems and make decisions which will affect
> your health.
> ......................

Hi All;
I just wanted to thank you for your good advice again and give you an
update. I went back this morning to my DDS to finish up the root
canal on the #19, and discuss why it had been having issues with the
infection, and pain ever since the root canal. When he opened the
temporary filling back up he went in and looked around and found that
the root is fractured at the part where the 2 roots meet (begins with
the letter "M", I forget how you say it), and it was fractured enough
that blood was even coming out from it when he proded it with the
file. So the new route is a referral to an oral surgeon next
wednesday for extraction, and to start the process of getting an
implant for #19. I guess this makes sense as I see a lot information
about teeth often needing to be extracted when the root is fractured.

In the meantime I'm still on penicillin and taking aspirin until the
appointment (though I only need 2 aspirin per day now whereas I was
taking 8-10 aspirin last weekend). I do have a pistil forming on the
inner gum next to #19.

He did an x-ray of the tooth immediately in front of #19 and
apparently its abscessed also, though the decay isn't nearly severe as
#19 was so he has higher hopes for it. I'll be having a root canal
done on that tooth now :( The charge for the first root canal is
being reversed since it wasn't successful which is good because
apparently the implant is going to hit me up for $3600.

I have a question though...apparently I'll be without a #19 tooth for
a good 4 months! Is this true? Granted, #19 is far back and probably
not visible during casual conversation, or even smiling and moderate
laughing, but I'm concerned about how apparent the lack of a #19 might
be during intimate moments.

I have a gf of 3 months, and I'm not sure how to approach her with
this, or if our relationship is ready for it. I guess it'll truly be
a test of where we stand. Anyhow, regardless of how I handle this
with her, is there any *reasonable* way to temporarily replace the
missing #19 while I wait 4 months for the implant? The doctor showed
me some temporary dentures that look like retainers and they look
absolutely awful and intrusive. I guess if it was a front tooth that
was to be missing I'd get one of those, but it's not. Is there
anything else less intrusive for temporarily replacing a missing tooth
aside from those retainer looking devices?

Thanks so much.

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    ... So I started taking aspirin and called my dentist who ... Is it normal for my tooth ... > slight swelling on the side that had the root canal. ... Your description is not typical of most RCT, ...
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