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I had a crowned tooth snap off recently and went to the dentist on Monday to have the stump extracted. The tooth had previously had root canal treatment, so wasn't causing any pain and the dentist explained that, due to the size of the stump, it might not be possible to remove the tooth, in which case he'd grind it down to below the gum line for the gum to grow over it (I have a denture that will fit over it).
This turned out to be the case as, after about 20 minutes of pulling and levering, the dentist decided that the tooth wasn't coming out and they couldn't get a decent grip on the stump (and they were making a bit of a mess of the gum); the stump was ground down.
I didn't have much pain when the anaesthetic wore off and was happily cycling again during the week, but, as the swelling in the gum has gone done the pain's increased somewhat.
I can touch the ground down tooth with my tongue or finger and this is rather painful. Since there's no nerve I guess that it's not the tooth that's hurting but its socket as there's pain in the jawbone.
I think that they came reasonably close to getting the tooth out so I guess that its socket had a rough ride (I'm also on blood thinners for my heart of bleed/bruise fairly spectacularly).
It's only been a week and paracetomal & Bonjella are making things manageable so I don't want to bother the dentist just yet, but does anyone have any idea how long before things start to settle and anything I ought to be aware of by way of problems developing? I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to dental pain.
Talk to the dentist. You don’t want to get infected
Although they didn’t actually extract the tooth, they will have still caused a fair amount of trauma to the area. Dental extractions are like any other minor surgery, you will get pain and swelling in the short term but it will resolve with time. The blood thinners will probably exacerbate the bruising in the area as well.
At this stage it’s a case of taking pain killers, leaving it alone as much as possible and being patient. It may well take a couple more weeks to fully settle to nothing but you could see some improvement over the next week. Some soreness/ pain with a gradual daily improvement is normal.
If the pain doesn’t improve at all or worsens, that would be an indication that things aren’t going to plan. Given that it’s a root filled root, the chance of infection in the short term is really pretty low (& you will know via worsening pain if it is getting infected!)
There is a small chance that it will get infected in the future being left like that but again it’s a fairly small chance and often if this happens at a later stage the root is easier to get out from the infection around it.
i'm not a dentist
However I did have a wisdom tooth extraction that went very bad indeed though, and it might be relevant. Basically once my tooth was extracted, a clot formed in the hole as normal. However the clot was dislodged and I then had what is known as a dry socket. It means the socket/bone is exposed and therefore very painful to hot and cold and probing. It was also susceptible to infection which is ultimately what happened and it was very unpleasant. In normal circumstances the clot remains in place and eventually the gum seals up.
Without the clot the gum takes a long time to grow over and cover the hole. In my case I still have a divot there and always will.
So it sort of sounds like you have a sort of dry socket - at this point I must stress DO NOT GOOGLE DRY SOCKET for your own state of mind. The gum grew over eventually, maybe 2-3 weeks. In the meantime I would suggest taking it very easy and avoid getting food in the hole - I didn't, and I was an idiot. As far as pain goes even after a lorry load of pain killers I could not control it - the emergency dentist therefore injected anesthetic to break the pain cycle and let me get back on top of it. Then I was referred to the MaxilloFacial consultant and finally put right.
TLDR speak to your dentist tomorrow
Had one a few years ago, one of the two root stumps broke off. He said it would take surgery, cutting the gums to get that piece out, and it wasnt really worth it, as the broken off piece would soon have the gums growing around it.
I was doubtful, but apart from the first week or so of dull pain, it has been fine.
*Googles "Dry Socket"*
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🤢
Also googling dry socket. Excited!
Edit: not so bad. I've seen plenty of skeletons with massive abscess cavities in the jaw, which must have been plenty painful.
abscess cavities in the jaw
Ha ha yeah that was me, I laugh about it now but it was like a nail being hammered in my jaw 24/7 for a fortnight. Pre antibiotics I honestly believe I might not have made it!
Having had an abscess in a molar a few months back, and what was the worst 4 days of my life before the antibiotics kicked in, you have my sympathy. I wouldn't wish dental pain on my worst enemy. About 3am on day 2 I seriously considered taking needle nose pliers to my tooth and ripping it out.
Crickey! It's certainly not as bad as some of you have had (it's not even the worst I've had) but it's the first time I've gone in to have an extraction and not had the tooth come out and I'm aware that what's left of the tooth seems really sensitive (perhaps it's the socket they've tried to wrench it out of) whilst previously it was dead. I just don't want it to get any worse.
@ceepers, thanks for taking the time to post that, it's reassuring.
@kormoran - sounds absolutely horrendous but glad that you got it sorted (finally)!
It's manageable with low level painkillers and Bonjella and if it gets suddenly worse I'll be straight on the phone!
I had the same a while back. Root filled tooth snapped during extraction. Settled down after a while, no real issues other than I was conscious that there was a piece of root sticking out of my gum.
A few months later I went back to the dentist because it was annoying me. Turned out it was working its way out the gum and he pulled the rest out as easy as pulling a splinter out a finger.
Where you based? A friend is a very good time trialist & skiier and in his spare time does tricky dental work. He won’t do anything easier than root canal (subs the crown off to a supporting actor) lectures internationally at dental conferences, rebuilds folks jaws after cancer / crashes etc.
He did my root canal after my normal dentist had said the only option was an extraction. Easiest dental visit I’ve ever had.
Not cheap mind. And refuses to ride MTB, so if that influences you…
Had pretty much the same thing happen to m earlier in the years, crown failed, infection in the stump and a trip to the dentist.
It was a fair amount of work to get it out and took the dentist a while to get the last bits out. The worst part was knowing, even as my jaw was starting to hurt through the painkillers and the feeling was coming back, that I had to take my motorbike 100km back to my house.
Long story short, I made it back and then just curled up and slept until the next day.
Personal opinion is that I would be wary of infection under the stump if food or particulates get around the edges. Maybe take IGM up on his mate and just b prepared to open your wallet. Or see if Dremel do a 'Home dentistry' kit. They seem to have a lot of attachments...
One of my front two teeth has gone bad. The crown on it came out. The tooth is now level with the gum. I want an implant but worrying about how they'll get the tooth out if it's not, as the dentist said, in good condition. I'm worried they'll clamp onto the tooth to grip, twist and remove and it'll shatter!
Next weekend I'll go and start the process hopefully. No idea if it'll be one, or two visits. If they can remove the tooth and then put the implant in, in one go.
I've had implants before, at the rear of the mouth. I can chew meat normally now. Definitely recommend them over troublesome crowns that never let you eat 100%.
PS. First two weeks eating soft or blended food. 3 month wait until getting the crown fitted to the implant. A denture can be made to fill that three months if it's a front (showing) tooth. I did have the bone on one implant grow over and need to be trimmed. The implant cap popped off which was disconcerting at the time, but it's all turned out good in the end
Ouch, it's hurting rather more today and any pressure on the remains of the tooth is nasty! The next appointment I could get is next Monday, so hopefully it's not going to get progressively worse. It could just be a badly bruised socket (as above, due to the blood thinners I bleed & bruise copiously) but if it continues to get worse I might need to ring back and get put on their cancellation list.
Sadly I can't afford private treatment or implants (was quoted £2000 for a single implant years ago) so I'm restricted to NHS treatment and not terribly comfortable dentures, although, to be fair, my NHS dentist is great.
When mine was really bad I rang 111 and got to see an emergency dentist that way, it was a weekend too.
worrying about how they’ll get the tooth out if it’s not, as the dentist said, in good condition. I’m worried they’ll clamp onto the tooth to grip, twist and remove and it’ll shatter!
They don't necessarily pull them out, I had an awkward multiple cracks, bits falling off that got infected. The dentist said he could drill, repair, crown, etc., with about a 70% chance of success and despite being a real dentist-phobe the pain was enough that I just told him to numb it and pull it out.
While he was rocking it to loosen it, then it cracked properly leaving not enough to grip but he shoved lifters down the side and tried to lift it out. And got nowhere, despite some fairly forceful levering. He was starting to sound desperate when he asked if he good get his colleague to look at it. (I was also starting to think this had been a bad idea, but realised that we were at the PONR quite a while ago)
His colleague, who lectured at the local med school came in, had a look and said she'd sort it as soon as she'd finished with her patient. So we sat and waited for 10-15 mins and then she came back in..... and I realised she was about 8st wet through, and had no chance of levering this out if he couldn't!!
But in with the lifters, a flick of the wrist and 2 mins later the satisfying plink of the remnants of my roots in the bowl. All technique, no effort.
(there was one minor problem...... in the 10-15 mins we were waiting the anaesthetic had started to wear off. Not enough so you'd notice, until someone shoves a spiky tool down between your tooth and its socket. I think we all noticed simultaneously, and the ceiling tiles that I shot through were easily replaced)
I had nightmare extraction last year with bits of broken tooth left in gum ! It was very painful for few weeks before it started to heal.
IGM I don't suppose your dentist friend is called Jonathon and around 60yrs old?
I have a childhood friend who is a dentist and time trialler and have not been in touch for many years.
Just under 50 and not called Jonathon. Sorry
I had a tooth removed and bits of other broken teeth taken out a few weeks ago.
It went well whilst in the chair. I was slightly hesitant prior to the removal as I still used the bits of teeth to eat with.
Anyway, the gums took a week or so to fully heal, they didn't bleed but we a little tender whilst eating. A month later and I'm happy with the result. Back eating peanuts and crisps in the pub etc.
Couple of years ago I had a back tooth pulled out and it was pulled so hard I could feel my skull bending.
Sat in the car after and cried for a bit.
Go to a different dentist now and he’s brilliant.
£2000 for an implant?!?! Wow, thats expensive. I'm looking at £580 for the implant and £520 for the crown. People here think it's expensive, on their salaries, but I think it's affordable on an expat company ensation package. And it's not like I'm risking a budget Turkish trip for medical tourism.
I've been told they can do another crown, but they expect it to only last 2-3 years because the tooth isn't strong anymore. If you do come across the cash, and it's a tooth you can't do without, get an implant over crowns. In the long run, it pays off compared to crowns (after you've had to replace a couple of crowns for whatever reason), and eating ability gives you back what you had before.+ which is quality of life.