I have a - All About Teeth

I have a dilemma with a tooth which had root canal treatment four years ago, done privately (and expensive!). All has been fine so far, but on a routine x-ray with a new dentist, it shows there is infection on the tip of one of the roots/canals! I have no symptoms whatsoever. My dentist has said this can be treated by redoing the one canal and replacing the crown. (expensive!) But has also said it is a dormant infection that may have been there some time, and can be there for years without trouble, so if I prefer, I can just live with it, and keep it regularly checked for the time being. Is this wise or should I deal with the infection straight away?

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Asked on 24/10/2016 12:00 am

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▲ 0 ▼ ✔	Private answer The X-ray reveals a root canal seal which is could be considered a problem, but you report the tooth does not worry you. In an ideal world, for peace of mind, you should seek an opinion and treatment from an endodontist (root canal specialist) to revise the root canal treatment and then your dentist can possibly replace the crown. You current dentist will advise you if he/she is comfortable revising the root canal treatment. In theory the tooth may remain symptom free for many years. It would be your decision to wait until it worries you but it is always easier to revise the treatment when the tooth is symptom free. You should be aware that judging from the X-ray presented, any future signs or symptoms in this part of your mouth may relate to the second molar tooth as well. (Further tests and another X-ray will be required to verify.) Marked as spam Posted by Dental Professional (Questions: 0, Answers: 1475) Answered on 06/03/2018 12:00 am
▲ 0 ▼ ✔	Private answer Technically the root filling is not perfect as it does not reach fully to the top of the root (but there may be reasons for this what will need to be discussed with the dentist who did the RCT I assume this was known to the dentist who did the crown and should have been discussed with you and possibly another attempt at RCT (or referral to specialist) done prior to providing the crown Teeth with poor healing following RCT can remain symptom free for many years and my advice would be to monitor this with regular X-rays and then redo when crown needs replacing or is symptoms develop Marked as spam Posted by Dental Professional (Questions: 0, Answers: 1475) Answered on 05/03/2018 12:00 am
▲ 0 ▼ ✔	Private answer Technically the root filling is not perfect as it does not reach fully to the top of the root (but there may be reasons for this what will need to be discussed with the dentist who did the RCT I assume this was known to the dentist who did the crown and should have been discussed with you and possibly another attempt at RCT (or referral to specialist) done prior to providing the crown Teeth with poor healing following RCT can remain symptom free for many years and my advice would be to monitor this with regular X-rays and then redo when crown needs replacing or is symptoms develop It is also possible to carry our apicectomy to clean out this area of ‘infection’ and seal the root from the other end but the proximity of the maxillary sinus may be an issue Marked as spam Posted by Dental Professional (Questions: 0, Answers: 1475) Answered on 05/03/2018 12:00 am

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