Dentist Messed Up His Root Canal

I was in a car accident which led to some medical problems, including a concussion. The part relating to my question today is with my two fractured front teeth. My dentist said it would be best to wait a couple of weeks before doing any work. By the second week, my tooth 8 starting turning dark. I went in to see the dentist. There was no pain at that time and he only felt dried blood. He didn’t feel any treatment was necessary except to fit the fractured teeth for temp crowns. The permanent ones came in three weeks later. A couple of months later I ended up in severe pain. My dentist started an emergency root canal treatment and gave me five days worth of amoxicillin.  I had some relief of pain the next day. But then it returned. The root canal was completed a week later, even though the pain was still there. Two weeks later when I was still in pain, I went back in. He saw no reason for the pain but then thought maybe the other injured tooth needed a root canal treatment so he did that. I’m still in pain and do not know what to do. Help.

Sam

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Dear Sam,

 

I am so sorry that you’ve been through all of that. I am going to suggest that you find a different dentist. Preferably a dentist who cares and who understands how to treat a tooth infection, which is sort of a basic when it comes to dental care. Here are some of the things that he did wrong:

First, as soon as the tooth had started to discolor, it was clear that it was in need of a root canal treatment. Second, when when he felt dried blood in the tooth, that was another clear sign. If he’d taken care of it then, it would have been easy. Clear out the dead tissue and fill everything up and close it. Yet, he waited until you were in terrible pain and needed urgent dental care.

Third, when he did do the root canal treatment he went about it completely wrong. Amoxicillin would not be my first choice for an infected tooth, but that isn’t the real problem here. He only gave you enough for five days, but didn’t complete the treatment until after that. Fourth, he closed it up while you were still in pain. That is a clear sign the tooth is still infected. What he should have done is give you enough antibiotic to last until after the treatment is done. If there was any pain he needed to give you a different antibiotic to make sure everything is good to go before he sealed things up. Finally, when you were still in pain, he was unsure why and just decided to root canal a different tooth. Really? That makes no sense.

Here’s what I want you to do. Call a root canal specialist (an endodontist) and tell them everything you told me. They should be able to get you in for an emergency appointment. If they can’t they should give you some strong antibiotics to hold you over until treatment is completed. If the pain returns at all, let them know.

This blog is brought to you by a careful dentist in Moline, Dr. Thomas Goebel.

Why Can’t the Dentist Find the Source of My Toothache?

I don’t have a regular dentist, but for the past 2 months my tooth and gums have been hurting and getting worse. Last Wednesday a dentist took me as an emergency patient. After the exam he only gave me something for pain. He said that he wasn’t sure where the pain is coming from and I need to see a specialist. Why wouldn’t a dentist be able to figure out why I have a toothache? He just looked at my tooth. Would an x-ray have helped? Do I really need to see specialist, or can I look for another dentist? Thank you. Thomas

Thomas,

Thank you for your question.

Pain in your tooth can originate with an infection in the tooth, or with an infection in your gums. If an infection is both in your tooth and your gums, it would make it difficult for the emergency dentist to make that determination.

What Causes a Toothache?

• Root canal infection – An infection in the root canal of a tooth can spread into the bone and tissue around the tooth, which help to support and stabilize the tooth. With a history of the progression of your pain, along with x-rays, a dentist can determine that the problem started in your tooth and spread to your gums and jawbone.
• Gum infection – Another possibility is an infection that starts in the gums and spreads to the tooth. An advanced gum infection can spread into the tooth roots and up into the pulp of the tooth, causing a very painful toothache.
• Gum and tooth infection – It is possible that both your gums and tooth are infected. If that’s the case, a dentist needs to carefully review the history of your toothache, take an x-ray of the tooth, and test the sensitivity of your tooth to pressure and temperature. Another dentist may be thorough enough to determine the cause of your pain. Otherwise, you may have to see an endodontist (root canal specialist) or a periodontist (specialist in the gums and supporting structure of the teeth).

The infection will continue to spread until it is treated, so please do not delay treatment. An experienced dentist can save the tooth and prevent the need for an extraction and implant.

 

Dr. Thomas Goebel, a Moline cosmetic dentist, sponsors this post.