Hi, I Have A Crack In My Tooth Which Has Had A Filling Put On It. I Still Think My Gum Is Infected. Should I Get A Second Opinion Or Wait Till It Heals?
Q.
Hi, I emailed you regarding an infection I had in my gum. I have now realised that the problem I was having was due to a crack in my tooth. The crack was located on my upper front tooth near the gum. The tooth was sensitive to hot and cold temperature, there was pressure in the tooth and there was swelling of the gum. I was taking antibiotics from the doctor but the gum is still swollen slightly. It used to get irritated but the irritation has gone. I went to see my dentist who filled it with a filling. She didn’t seem to know much about cracked teeth. I had this done today and when I had it the pressure seemed to have reduced but as I’m putting pressure on that tooth, the pressure is still there but less than before. I was thinking that the gum needs time to heal because as the tooth was cracked and food was getting inside the gum causing an infection, it didn’t get a chance to heal. Could this mean the pulp is damaged? Should I wait for it to heal or get a second opinion? Thanks.
Hi, I emailed you regarding an infection I had in my gum. I have now realised that the problem I was having was due to a crack in my tooth. The crack was located on my upper front tooth near the gum. The tooth was sensitive to hot and cold temperature, there was pressure in the tooth and there was swelling of the gum. I was taking antibiotics from the doctor but the gum is still swollen slightly. It used to get irritated but the irritation has gone. I went to see my dentist who filled it with a filling. She didn’t seem to know much about cracked teeth. I had this done today and when I had it the pressure seemed to have reduced but as I’m putting pressure on that tooth, the pressure is still there but less than before. I was thinking that the gum needs time to heal because as the tooth was cracked and food was getting inside the gum causing an infection, it didn’t get a chance to heal. Could this mean the pulp is damaged? Should I wait for it to heal or get a second opinion? Thanks.
A.
Hello again. It’s really difficult for me to give you accurate answers as your descriptions are not clinically precise enough for me to know the exact situation. There could be pulpal involvement, it could be that the crack has occurred too deep under the gum to be able to heal fully (without some gum augmentation). It could just be taking time to heal (how long exactly has it been?). It could be that there is an infection.
Hello again. It’s really difficult for me to give you accurate answers as your descriptions are not clinically precise enough for me to know the exact situation. There could be pulpal involvement, it could be that the crack has occurred too deep under the gum to be able to heal fully (without some gum augmentation). It could just be taking time to heal (how long exactly has it been?). It could be that there is an infection.
I’d advise you to get a second opinion from a more advanced dentist, maybe even a specialist in restorative dentistry, or make an appointment at a practice such as mine where we have dentists who are very experiecned in dealing with complex dental issues and that has specialists ‘in house’ that you could see.
If you want I can assist with recommending someone suitable near you if you’re not able to get to London?
Best wishes, Mark.
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