Posted by shaelle on December 06, 2000 at 22:12:57:

In Reply to: root canal filler question posted by mary on December 06, 2000 at 20:14:22:

: I had a root canal done and the pain was worse after then before. The endodontist who did it said it was fine but another dentist said that the filler had come out the end and should be removed. I did not want any more surgery done to me so I opted not to have it done. Now its 1year later and this tooth still bothers me. It reminds me of having a sliver in my finger only its in my gum. I have gone to several other dentists and they are really reluctant to give me any information. One said to have it retreated, one said to have it pulled. One said that the filler would gradually be absorbed into the body. Would that cause a problem. My health is not good now. I'm suffering from a variety of symtoms that I did not have before. I tried antibiotics 6 months ago, made little difference. Please respond as the dentists seem to busy and do not seem to care. The endodontist who did the work said there is nothing he can do for me and that I should have the tooth pulled if it is causing me discomfort. But he comes up with no reason for what is causing the discomfort. If I get the tooth pulled, I'm scared i will have other problems. If there is infection present, why can't anyone diagnosis it and help me to get rid of it.

The removal of the filler material would probably be done through an apical-ectomy, removal of the root tip. The material probably causes more of an irritation for you more than an infection, that is why the antibiotic is probably not doing much good. You could also have the tooth re-treated, or last of all just have the tooth removed. Not many options. Infections are sometimes harder to find especially on upper teeth due to the sinus cavities. The root canal is one of your last options to saving a tooth so that you may be able to retain the tooth longer. If the tooth is still bothering you then you may want to take it out. The decision is in you hands as to wether you want to keep your tooth longer or give it up. Depending where the tooth is located you could probably get what is called a fixed bridge put in place to cover the space of the missing tooth.
good luck