They at first thought it would be a retreat of the tooth (a molar) and I would have a root canal redone. The surrounding bone and gum became infected, and I assume they figured the root canal failed. Turns out there was a fracture in the root and the only thing to do was to extract it.

Last root canal I had took about two hours and was really no big deal, very little pain following the procedure. I figured with an extraction it would be no big deal, a quick 20 minute or so procedure. Two and a half hours later, he got the last piece he was able to get to. The tooth kept breaking into small pieces as he tried to extract the tooth. He had to leave a small piece in there because he was afraid of doing too much damage plus (if I remember correctly) he didn't want to get any closer to the blood vessels.This is a very good dentist that I have all the faith in the world in, so I know he did the best he could. 24 hours later my jaw is sore and swollen and now, considering the luck I have, I'm concerned about a dry socket by tomorrow or the next day. Wish me luck, better luck than I've had, that is. :lol:

Good luck Run To State...I really don't like going to the dentist and have never had anything major done like you just did.

Good luck Run To State...I really don't like going to the dentist and have never had anything major done like you just did.

Thanks, History! I've had good luck most of my life with my teeth. Didn't get my first cavity until I was 32, had two root canals done and about 8 fillings. This last experience was not much fun, hopefully it's not a sign of things to come.

I just had my first root canal yesterday. No pain at all through the procedure or after. Not sure why I always see people complaining about them.

 

Hopefully everything gets better for you!

My wife just had 3 wisdom teeth and two other teeth cut out today. She's in a fair amount of pain so I feel bad for her. I really hope she does not get a dry socket.

Sometimes you leave a root tip because of the position of it with regard to the nerve. Root canal treated teeth tend to be very brittle. And they chip and break and it kinda sucks to be honest. Dry socket won't occur til day 3. No clue why, but you can mark it down. Happens the third day. If it happens to you and you can't reach your guy, send me a PM.

Curious, was your tooth crowned after the root canal?

Sometimes you leave a root tip because of the position of it with regard to the nerve. Root canal treated teeth tend to be very brittle. And they chip and break and it kinda sucks to be honest. Dry socket won't occur til day 3. No clue why, but you can mark it down. Happens the third day. If it happens to you and you can't reach your guy, send me a PM.

 

Any suggestions for the wife if she gets a dry socket? She's really worried about it.

Sometimes you leave a root tip because of the position of it with regard to the nerve. Root canal treated teeth tend to be very brittle. And they chip and break and it kinda sucks to be honest. Dry socket won't occur til day 3. No clue why, but you can mark it down. Happens the third day. If it happens to you and you can't reach your guy, send me a PM.

Thanks, spindoc. I'll do that, but I pray I won't get one and won't need to.

Curious, was your tooth crowned after the root canal?

Yes, it was.

Well, a dry socket is simply when the clots in the bottom of the empty socket don't attach/adhere and essentially dissolve, hence the "dry socket". Typically, lower extraction sites are more often candidates than upper because the upper is more vascular than the lower. As far as advice, honestly, you can follow the post-op instructions to the letter and still end up with dry socket. The most critical part of it all is immediately after the procedure to keep firm pressure on the site. I always advise patients to keep pressure with the gauze we provide for 3 minutes regardless of their bleeding or lack thereof. Just makes the site have the best chance IMO to clot. Smoking is a severe no-no. No straws, anything frankly that would cause suction on the "tender" clot. If its dislodged, you won't know. It's not something you will see like a bloody nose clot. Just dissolves, 3 days later you think your socket is giving birth. Motrin or any of the common NSAIDs is the best thing to combat it. If you end up with dry socket, there is a paste your dentist can place in the socket, however, it lasts a max of 24hrs, typically less. And you have to replace it daily for roughly 5 days. The other option is to initiate bleeding in the socket after you numb the patient to start the clotting process all over again. Personally, I never have done the latter. I don't know if that helps, but to be quite blunt, if you make it past day 3 you're home free.

Yes, it was.

Seldom happens when the tooth is crowned. Funny, I had a patient with that same deal last week. Tough during the holidays. We dentists are scarce over holidays.

Seldom happens when the tooth is crowned. Funny, I had a patient with that same deal last week. Tough during the holidays. We dentists are scarce over holidays.

My dentist thinks there was a tiny fracture already in the tooth at the time I had the original procedure and over time it just got worse.

 

I kept pressure with gauze on it most of the day yesterday, at least until I went to bed. It was still bleeding a bit then but had quit by morning. Is that unusual?

 

Also, do I count the day I had it done as the first day, it was started yesterday at 9 AM and was finished at 11:30. So will the third day be tomorrow or Saturday? Sorry for the stupid question. :lol:

My dentist thinks there was a tiny fracture already in the tooth at the time I had the original procedure and over time it just got worse.

 

I kept pressure with gauze on it most of the day yesterday, at least until I went to bed. It was still bleeding a bit then but had quit by morning. Is that unusual?

Not really. If that thing was fractured for a time, soft tissue can grow into the fracture. That's what usually bleeds. Kinda oozes for a few hours. Never seems to totally stop bleeding.

Not really. If that thing was fractured for a time, soft tissue can grow into the fracture. That's what usually bleeds. Kinda oozes for a few hours. Never seems to totally stop bleeding.

Thanks for the info! I'll repost this part since I added it while you were answering my other question. I really appreciate the help.

 

Do I count the day I had it done as the first day, it was started yesterday at 9 AM and was finished at 11:30. So will the third day be tomorrow or Saturday?