May
Greetings,
I live in Hawaii on the island of Kauai. My dentist thinks I should have a root canal and I feel like I need a second opinion. The options on the island are minimal so I am wondering about coming to Santa Barbara to see Dr. Copeland.
This is the situation:
Three or four weeks ago, a piece of a crown broke off in my mouth. I went to my dentist the next day and she put on a temporary crown. A few days later I started to feel symptoms I thought might be angina, but I realized that it was an infection. So I went on antibiotics and the symptoms quickly declined.
They returned, however, three or four days after I stopped taking the antibiotics. Now I am on antibiotics again and my dentist wants to do a root canal. She only used x-rays to determine this and I think there are probably more tools out there for making a decision between root canal, extraction, or therapy. I believe the area of the tooth has had a low grade infection off and on for a long time.
Regards, Stephen
Dear Stephen,
If the symptoms are indeed being relieved by the antibiotics, and it is the tooth that broke that is the culprit, then there is an infection which is being addressed.
If that is the case, then removal of the infected tissue is prudent. Choices then are root canal therapy or removal of the tooth entirely.
A 3D scan to view the tooth and its supporting structure is needed. A two-dimensional film is as good at obtaining an accurate idea of the shape of a marlin fish by looking down its “nose”…limited at best.
There may be doctors who do 3D scans in your more direct area who can help you determine which direction you should go. Once you have the 3D scan, you can more easily choose between the Root Canal or removal of the tooth.
Thank you and I wish you all the best.
In health,
Dr. Cynthia Copeland