Question about re-treatment of a tooth with a root canal

[Bob1967]

Last Wednesday 11/22 I noticed a bump on the gum line of tooth #14. The bump was just above the tooth.and appeared to be the a blood blister. I poked it with a toothbrush and a small amount of blood came out of the bump. During the following days the bump was getting smaller but I noticed there was a small white dot in the center of it. Yesterday I saw my dentist and he is pretty certain the root canal has become infected. He used a probe and he told me he was able to follow a path to the top of the tooth.

He wants me to get a second opinion with an endodontist. At the same time he told me it will take a lot of heroics to save the tooth and suggested I have the tooth extracted and replaced with an implant.

Since yesterday the bump has almost completely disappeared. And I have no pain or swelling since I first noticed the bump last Wednesday. Is there any possibility that something else could have caused the bump above the tooth?

Thank you

 

[apl789]

nhs or private?

 

[Busybee]

It's not likely but you should get the second opinion, although i'd get a second opinion from another dentist. A dentist can see on an x ray whether the root has failed but I reckon you'd be in some pain. I once went to an endo who wanted to do a root canal and I got a second opinion and turns out I didn't need it. I've lost count of the number of times I've thought one root filled tooth had failed after one dentist told me it had (17 years ago!). So these days I don't agree to anything without seeing another one or two dentists.