Is it really necessary to extract this tooth?

[Cristina Montenegro]

Hello,

I went yesterday to the dentist having a pain-free small bump in the gum near a tooth with a root canal done around 10 years ago (the bump comes and goes, today for example is gone). He took an x-ray (attached) and it seems I’m losing the tooth and there is an infection. The dentist told me that there is nothing he can do and the tooth needs to be extracted before the infection is spread to the adjacent teeth. Before I get my tooth pulled out I would like to ask for a second opinion. Do I really need to extract the tooth? Is it risky if I leave it untreated? Since I don’t have any pain nor discomfort it really annoys me thinking about losing a tooth. Any advice would be much appreciated!


Thank you very much in advance for your help!


Kind regards,


Cristina

 

[MattKW]

Sorry, that's probably a goner. It's pain free because the abscess has managed to drain out through the gum. But one day you'll probably develop a facial swelling that won't be fun to extract, plus it's destroying the bone around the roots which diminishes your chances of later implant. The only way of possibly saving it is to see an endodontist for possible retreatment. Get a referral for a consultation.

 

[Cristina Montenegro]

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply to my message, really appreciated! In case a retreatment can be done, do you think it would be worth it? Or would you recommend an extraction? Because the tooth is in such a bad condition, I'm afraid I do a retreatment and maybe at some point the tooth needs to be extracted anyway, and loose a lot of money (retreatment plus a future implant). Thanks for your help!