Abscess Root Canal

[Rockape]

I had root canal treatment on a front tooth which was dead in 2018.

Yesterday I noticed swelling/boil the size of a pea on the gum at this tooth coupled with some discomfort/pressure type feeling.

My dentist will see me tomorrow but have said they are limited as to what treatment they will be able to provide. What can I expect? Antibiotics and an appointment in a few weeks???

[Mr Pointy]

If you're unlucky & the antibiotics don't sort it out then they may want to extract it. I don't know if the guidance on aerosal-producing procedures (ie almost anything) has been relaxed yet.

[anonymous-user]

A conversation with my dentist a couple of days ago says still no AGP's but prices have definitely gone up. I reckon mine has upped prices by 50% due to covid-19.

[dandarez]

gottans said:

A conversation with my dentist a couple of days ago says still no AGP's but prices have definitely gone up. I reckon mine has upped prices by 50% due to covid-19.

That's interesting. They must have lost a lot of business during this. Mine still saying no appointments yet. Not that I want one!

[xx99xx]

I went last week and had a normal filling i.e. drilling involved, which probably counts as an AGP. Dentist and assistant had full respirators, plastic gowns etc.

This is on top of other precautions the patients have to take....hand sanitizer outside, temperature check inside first door, hand sanitizer again, face mask on, empty waiting room, one way system, hand wash when entering and leaving the surgery room and exiting via a side door when finished.

[anonymous-user]

I think routine appointments are difficult, my dentist has been working through the backlog of urgent stuff. I got an early appointment for a possible broken root canal, luckily the canal cap filling was okay just everything above was loose.

[Rockape]

Just an update. No treatment today. Xray and there is infection at the base of the root. I'm being referred onto another dentist who is doing the treatment due to covid however my dentist has not long phoned saying they are now wondering whether it will be successful and if the tooth will get pulled instead. Although I hate the dentist I'd rather keep the tooth but if it's just going to give me grief so be it.

[Piginapoke]

Rockape said:

Just an update. No treatment today. Xray and there is infection at the base of the root. I'm being referred onto another dentist who is doing the treatment due to covid however my dentist has not long phoned saying they are now wondering whether it will be successful and if the tooth will get pulled instead. Although I hate the dentist I'd rather keep the tooth but if it's just going to give me grief so be it.

Front tooth? Try to keep it if possible.

I had a molar taken out this afternoon, feeling sorry for myself.

[cheeky_chops]

Piginapoke said:

Rockape said:

Just an update. No treatment today. Xray and there is infection at the base of the root. I'm being referred onto another dentist who is doing the treatment due to covid however my dentist has not long phoned saying they are now wondering whether it will be successful and if the tooth will get pulled instead. Although I hate the dentist I'd rather keep the tooth but if it's just going to give me grief so be it.

Front tooth? Try to keep it if possible.

This. Friend had similar, tooth died then extracted. Had a denture for 6 months then an implant. All ok now but expensive treatment

There are dentists doing AGP. From what i hear (my oh is a dentist) alot of NHS arent - they havent got the PPE kit, cant afford the PPE kit and are getting paid so have no reason to risk the wrath of the GDC/BDA. My OH is private and doing some AGP, but depends very much on complex case/risk assessments, plus she has all the protective kit and SOP's.

[Armitage.Shanks]

Sounds like you will need an apicoectomy (root end surgery) to tackle the cause of infection. I had one done about 6yrs back on a front tooth and up until recently all was well but sometimes a 'lump' comes back. Another apicoectomy is suggested but I've held off as there was a disagreement between my dentist and the 'surgeon'. The latter said the tooth (crowned with root canal treatment) was slightly loose and suggests the dentist does it via conventional means (a la root canal procedure) and my dentist who says the tooth is solid and needs treatment via the gum.

We agreed to leave it and monitor as it's not causing any trouble.

[Rockape]

Another update. Visited the dentist doing urgent work locally to me. They were happy to do what I suppose was an emergency root canal and have referred me back to my own dentist to get the remainder of the treatment done when all this COVID stuff sorts itself.