Jaw/ Gum swelling. Lump 1mm calcification

Joined
Mar 8, 2021
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1
Hi! The reason I’m writing is I have a dilemma that no one has been able to figure out.
Sorry this is long, but I really would love an opinion on this and have nowhere else to go.
In June 2020, I had my lower impacted wisdom teeth removed. Shortly after, I developed swelling on my bottom right jaw. It was like a lump. It grew in size and was causing me discomfort. It feels similar to a bruise if I were to press on it. I had some leftover amoxicillin at home and I figured it may be an infection, so I took 3 pills. The swelling decreased, but the lump never went away. In august 2020, I scheduled a post op to go back to the same oral maxillofacial surgeon I had seen previously to inquire about the growth. He said he had no idea what to tell me. Then I mentioned that the amoxicillin seemed to help decrease the swelling, so he prescribed me more amoxicillin. I took the prescribed medication, the swelling decreased, and the size of the lump, but it never went away. Once the dose was finished, it grew back in size.
In November 2020, I went to my general dentist to inquire. He took an Xray and determined that tooth #31 had decay, and needed either a root canal, or to extracted. My Medicaid insurance would cover the extraction, but not the root canal. They quoted me for the root canal, it was way out of budget for me, so I went to Mexico to have the root canal done. I had the root canal done, and the crown put on. An Xray was taken after and deemed that their was no infection in the tooth anymore. However, the lump never went away.
I went to my general practitioner to inquire, as the lump had increased in size, was causing me discomfort, and I was no longer able to sleep on the right side of my face at night due to the pain. They referred me to Steinberg Diagnostic Imaging center to have a CT scan taken. The CT scan came in, and indicated that there was a 1 mm calcification on my jaw. I went back to my general practitioner to discuss the results. The doctor examining me did not even look in my mouth or at my jaw. She told me everything was unremarkable and that the 1mm calcification was so small that it shouldn’t bother me or cause any issues. At this point, I was really frustrated. I told her it may be 1mm, but its causing swelling and pain and its not just something I can ignore. She says she needs to think for a minute, leaves the room and brings in another doctor, who examines my mouth and checks my temperature. My temperature was 99 degrees. The inside of my cheek was “more red” than she would like it to be. And she could feel the lump. She prescribed me amoxicillin with Clauvolic Acid 875mg. It made me sick to my stomach, but I finished the course, and I was back to square one. I went back to my Oral surgeon. He said its 100% tooth #31 and to see a root canal specialist. I went back to my dentist in Mexico, and the dentist mentioned it may have been the crown they put on, and that it was overlapping and pinching my gums. This didn’t make sense to me, as the lump started before the root canal procedure even took place. However, they removed the crown, cut my gums, and sent me home for 2 weeks without a replacement crown and charged me $250 for the procedure to operate on my gums.
Sorry that was incredibly long. I am just extremely frustrated. Nobody has been able to figure out what is wrong. They have been passing me off like I don’t matter, prescribing me doses of amoxicillin to treat the symptoms and not cure the issue. I don’t know if this is just how the Medicaid system is out here, but nobody seems to care Im in pain and I cant keep running around from dentist to dentist. I really want answers. Please let me know if you can help me.
 

Dr M

Verified Dentist
Joined
May 31, 2019
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Good day

Do you perhaps have any images or xrays that you can share? Difficult to give an opinion without more information
 

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honestdoc

Verified Dentist
Joined
Jun 14, 2018
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We need to know more about this lump. Like Dr. M asked, images and x-rays will help tremendously. Root canals can be very difficult to eradicate an established (chronic) infection.
 

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