Implant or no

[Roderick]

I had a root canal treatment some 3 years ago or more and after aprox 3 months a cyst developed next to the treated tooth. The dentist said we will have to remove the tooth and make an implant because a root canal success decreases drastically after the first time. Now thing is this is not hurting me, sometimes I burst it but no pain whatsoever. Am I doing harm by not taking out the tooth please? Thanks

 

[svor1988]

So the cyst has surface access as you say you can burst it? Has it not occurred to you or your dentist to attempt to clear the infection through that route?

Try soaking for ~10 mins a night in salt water as you would with wisdom teeth. And alternatively with other antibacterial regimens.

I'm going to say a strong no implant! Dental implants are not permanent- look up their life expectency. Often they cannot be replaced after their end of life due to bone loss. Further there are many more complications and costs to you which are trivialized or not addressed. Such as many sick days from work, months/years of pain, trouble eating, nerve injury, sinus perforation, improper placement, and even titanium allergy. Look up 'dental implant malpractice' for some horror stories and a reality check. Don't blindly trust what your dentist sells to you as I did.

By pulling the tooth, if necessary, the teeth behind it naturally move forward to fill the gap. Replacing the tooth is not necessary.

 

[Roderick]

Yes it (cyst) comes and goes occasionally on the gum right underneath the treated tooth. Have seen 2 dentists none of them mentioned treating the infection as you are suggesring but replace the tooth with an implant! Therefore I did well not to heed their advice and the infection can be treated without pulling the tooth? Please note I have been like this for years now

 

[svor1988]

That is upsetting to me. Placing an implant over an active infection is like setting it up to fail. Do not get an implant.
As the cyst, and pus has surface access, logically you can treat it yourself. When you press on it (a bubble/blister) you get a strange/sweet taste in your mouth? That is pus.
Try 1-3x a day alternate soaking that area in salt water, and other things such as fermented pickle juice or fermented sour kraut (available at whole foods, organic stores, and maybe Kroger). That bacteria would not colonize your mouth as the current flora is. They'd kill each other, hopefully enough to get your body to finish off the remaining infection and fill that cavity with body tissue. This is all my theory... So if it doesn't work you could try asking for an antibiotic mouthwash from a doctor.
Other people would know more than I why that root canal has a cyst under it in the first place. Perhaps a root was not sufficiently cleaned of infection and filled by the dentist who performed the root canal.

 

[Roderick]

I do not think any taste in particular, a little blood comes out when its big enough that I can press it. It used to be much bigger when it surfaced originally.

 

[svor1988]

Hmm just blood? Weird it should be pus!? Stagnant blood should eventually become tissue?- I guess there is still infection in a root that your body can't quite reach to clear out, thus the cyst formation and years of that blister being there. Sometimes when performing the root canal proceduce they can't clear out the root if the root is kinked to much for their tool, or they make a mistake and don't drill down enough into the root clearing out the infection. Sorry I'm inexperienced/unknowledgable there. You really should find someone more knowledgeable than I or look through some literature for some ideas. Searching for terms like 'dental abscess blister' or something?

Get a dentist to treat the dental abscess. If the infection spreads laterally it may kill other teeth via traveling up their roots- I read that somewhere. Look into localized antibiotics over the typical tablet antibiotic...

I had a chronic infection as well, but before the root canal. After the root canal, things got worse. Extracting the root canaled tooth solved the issue and a lot of my bone loss grew back. I did not replace that tooth.

If you extract the tooth look at the roots to see if they were not filled?

Edit: revised the above. Sorry a lot is speculation so be skeptical. Use your own noggin.