Will the crown have to be removed and the root canals cleared?
Q. I have a problem with one of my lower right side teeth. It had a root filing around 1990 with no problems. About 5 years ago the dead tooth stated to break up and so about 2 years ago it was fitted with a crown again with no immediate problems. However about a year ago I stated to get small abscess in the outside gum just below the crown line. It would occasionally bust releasing a small amount of milky fluid and then heal but only to reoccur a few week later. Now the discharge is more puss and erupts every 4 to 5 days. I can feel the pressure of the build up increasing in the interim. I presume I have an infection in one of the root canals? Will the crown have to be removed and the root canals cleared? Many thanks for your advice.
A.
The best thing to do is to ask your dentist to refer you to an endodontist. They will be able to tell you the prognosis of a re-root canal treatment. If it is possible the best thing to do may be to have a new crown placed because if the existing crown is drilled it will become weaker. If you don’t want to disturb the crown it will be possible to have an apicectomy carried out. This is a small surgical procedure where the infection is removed directly from underneathe the tooth.
kind regards
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