Hello!
I would like your opinion. After a month of treatment (7 visits to the dentist), the final diagnosis is: gangrene of teeth 6 and 8 in the upper left, and decay of the crown of tooth 7. The pain is unbearable. Is the tooth 8, the so-called wisdom tooth, treated or is extraction better? Why does such a situation arise where three teeth begin to die at the same time, considering that I visit the dentist regularly, even up to three times a year? I also have a new X-ray on which tooth 8 showed no signs of decay, and I did not feel the vitality test at all — how is that possible? I would also like to know whether it is normal for such treatment to be performed without local anaesthesia, on a live tooth, when the already very painful area causes unbearable pain. What are the chances of keeping tooth 6, in which three canals have been cleaned and which has been left open since 25 August?
Thank you very much for your answers and kind regards.
Dentist Tomaž Rotar answers:
Dear Sir/Madam!
Root canal treatment of a wisdom tooth is technically difficult to perform. If the treatment cannot be carried out, we prefer to extract the tooth. Late detection of carious lesions that, if untreated, slowly reach the dental pulp ultimately leads to the clinical picture you describe. It has been statistically shown that dentists miss approximately 30% of dental caries at the contact points between teeth because it is difficult to see in its early stages. We recommend occasional imaging using panoramic or bitewing techniques, but even X-rays are not completely reliable. I definitely recommend root canal treatment under local anaesthesia, at least in the first phase. If you want a prognosis for the tooth 6 you describe, I would need to see at least a local X-ray.
Have a nice day!