Can retreating an infected RC-treated tooth be successful?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have a bad infection at the lower right molars (and another one at the left one, but that does not hurt and I will deal with it right after this one). I had really big swelling and a lot of pain.

The swelling started a few days ago and gradually got worse. I went to the dentist, who suggested an extraction for both right molars. He said I had a cyst and an infection and that the previous root canal was cemented. He suggested that redoing it would not save the teeth and gave me an antibiotic (Amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid every 12 hours) and something for the pain.

It is been three days now since I was supposed to have my two molars removed, but I canceled the extraction (the dentist also told me I was still a bit too swollen to do it today anyway) after I got a second opinion from another dentist. As I am only 24 years old, she (the second dentist) does not want me to remove either of them, telling me to try and redo the root canal on 47 and 46.

She recommended drilling into the bone to drain the cyst and save the tooth but recommended another dentist with more experience, who is completely booked and cannot take me. So I found another dentist. When I went to the original dentist to cancel, he told me what I had was very serious, that the teeth could not be saved, and that I had developed dental cellulitis.

Now, I am scheduled to see the third dentist in two days, who has seen the X-ray and told me not to have them extracted just yet but to continue the antibiotic for a few days and see then. The swelling has reduced but is still present a little, and the pain is mostly gone, with no painkillers taken. However, my cheek has a hard spot, and I feel a little tension in that spot whenever I move my head up.

Apologies for the long post. Is there any chance that the teeth can be saved? Or should I hurry and get them extracted as soon as possible? The contradictory opinions from these three different dentists have me worried. I read on the internet that a dental cyst can lead to the removal of part of the jaw. So I do not know what to do.

Kindly suggest.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

If an experienced root canal specialist can remove the canal fillings and redo the treatment, then it is better to save those teeth, rather than extracting them. But all the root canal-treated teeth have an abscess on the left and right sides.

Did you get them treated by the same dentist previously? The canals seem to be not disinfected properly before filling them. Cysts can be treated by drilling through sideways and through apicoectomy procedures. All this requires the expertise of an experienced endodontist.

I hope that you get your answer.

Please let me know if you want some help.

Thank you.