Is my dentist right in recommending that I have my tooth removed?

Q.
Dear Dr Hughes,
I have had a root canal filling and a crown put on one of my teeth (upper side) about 10 years ago. It had given me no trouble till about 2 months ago when I bit on some hard nuts and I got a dental abscess. I had severe pain and swelling of the face. With antibiotics it cleared up and I have had no problems since then, but my dentitst says I should remove it. I am hesitant as it is not giving me any trouble and I don’t intend to bite anything that hard ever again. Also I have never had a tooth removed before. Please advise if it needs to be removed. thanks, 
A.
Hi  Thank you for your questions and I understand your concerns. To be able to answer your question accurately I would need to see you in person and also have some X-rays of the tooth in question.

However here are some potential solutions. Sometimes a tooth with an old root canal that fails and gets an infection again, can have the root canal repeated – we would refer you to our specialist endodontist to have this assessed and carried out if approipriate. Sometimes a surgical procedure called an apicectomy can be done. It may also be the case that removal of the tooth is the best long term solution with replacement by a method such as a dental implant (amongst others).

I guess the best thing for you to do is to get a second or third opinion. Maybe from an endodontist or a dentist who is an expert on implants or other forms of tooth replacement.

You can then make a more informed decision on what’s best for you.

Hope that helps

Best wishes

Mark

Dr Mark Hughes Harley Street Dental Studio 52 Harley Street, London W1G 9PY Web: www.harleystreetdentalstudio.com Tel: 020 7636 5981 View My Profile Dr Hughes

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