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The quick story: I have what they used to call a "gum boil" which basically is an infected pocket/blister/bump on the gum. It's a symptom of something deeper, which in my case isn't showing up on the x-ray. My regular dentist (who has been doing 'right' by me for over 10 yrs) said I should see an oral surgeon if the bump didn't go away with antibiotics---which it did not. I just saw a local oral surgeon (who I and my kids/friends have been to, and who we all think is FABulous) who said I should get an apicoectomy--I think I'm spelling it right--basically it's where they cut into the gum and clean out and/or remove the tip or part of the root. I'd be getting it done on a tooth that's been root canaled (ages ago) and crowned. HERE is the sticky wicket (isn't there always one?)--it's a bottom molar, tooth #30---2nd molar from the back, for me the 3rd tooth as I still have wisdoms---and those teeth are right above a nerve in your jaw wherein if it's damaged/nicked, the patient can experience temporary OR permanent nerve damage, thus numbness....a feeling like you're permanently shot with novocaine. Needless to say I'm freaking out. My oral surgeon says it's a 1 in 20,000 chance. As much as I trust him, I'm now paranoid/doubtful--after all, who cares more about one's health than oneself? What if this and what if that's are running through my mind. SO....I'm wondering if anyone has had this done, what your story/success/nonsuccess was, and maybe if you could, who did the surgery. Thanks in advance. Hoping for wisdom/insight/feedback/suggestions to either calm my nerves OR help me with the decision (basically: to apico or to extract?)
You are in the health and wellness forum.
I had a cyst removed from my gum in December. The cyst is about where my lower wisdom tooth would have been, and it was large, and sitting on a nerve and had grown into the jaw bone. My oral surgeon was awesome, and he warned me that I might experience permanent numbness. I still have some slight numbness, it's about a square inch of numbness on my face, approximately under the corner of my mouth. It lessened and lessened steadily, but it stopped lessening about a month ago so I'm thinking it's here to stay.
Of course, that's better than having a cyst destroy my jaw! Seriously I hardly notice it.
If you have found a surgeon you really like and trust, I would go with his recommendation. If you aren't sure, get a professional, second opinion. I went to two surgeons before I found the one I liked. They both made the same recommendation, but I was way impressed by the second one I met with.
I would strongly recommend stressing to your surgeon, to be generous with his prescription pad! I was popping percosets and rotating between ice packs and a head pad for several days. Gums are sensitive!
Lorac... Fear not. I had an apico on a front tooth a few years ago. It was for a tooth which had had a root canal 20-yrs before, but not enough of the root was extracted & there was some inner infection, a bit of swelling at the gum & a fair amount of pain. I was petrified & I'm a dentalphobe anyway. Like you, I had a great endodontist, the surgery went fine & there was no pain afterwards... surprising since I had gum stitches, I think for 1-wk.
BTW, any surgery on any part of the body can have glitches, but this is why you're doing the right thing to choose an endo who has a wealth of experience... you said he's highly recommended, so you can't do better than that. It's your call on extraction vs an apico, but my feeling is I'd rather keep all my own teeth.
I also had a friend's brother escort me to the dr's office on the day of surgery... he drove & it was much easier. I was looking for any excuse not to go... like a hangnail... but, the surgery was easy, fast & completely painless. My endo gave me a prescription for 1 valium as he knew how nervous I was, I took it as my friend picked me up & my terror was abated by the time we made our way through downtown traffic to his office (about 1-hr).
You'll do fine. Talk over your fears with your surgeon as he'll best help you decide if extraction might be your best bet. Most surgeons stay in biz as they know what they're doing... if he's highly recommended, I'm sure he'll do great. Also, you won't be his first patient to express fears... so don't be afraid to let loose. That's what you're paying him for!
The quick story: I have what they used to call a "gum boil" which basically is an infected pocket/blister/bump on the gum. It's a symptom of something deeper, which in my case isn't showing up on the x-ray. My regular dentist (who has been doing 'right' by me for over 10 yrs) said I should see an oral surgeon if the bump didn't go away with antibiotics---which it did not. I just saw a local oral surgeon (who I and my kids/friends have been to, and who we all think is FABulous) who said I should get an apicoectomy--I think I'm spelling it right--basically it's where they cut into the gum and clean out and/or remove the tip or part of the root. I'd be getting it done on a tooth that's been root canaled (ages ago) and crowned. HERE is the sticky wicket (isn't there always one?)--it's a bottom molar, tooth #30---2nd molar from the back, for me the 3rd tooth as I still have wisdoms---and those teeth are right above a nerve in your jaw wherein if it's damaged/nicked, the patient can experience temporary OR permanent nerve damage, thus numbness....a feeling like you're permanently shot with novocaine. Needless to say I'm freaking out. My oral surgeon says it's a 1 in 20,000 chance. As much as I trust him, I'm now paranoid/doubtful--after all, who cares more about one's health than oneself? What if this and what if that's are running through my mind. SO....I'm wondering if anyone has had this done, what your story/success/nonsuccess was, and maybe if you could, who did the surgery. Thanks in advance. Hoping for wisdom/insight/feedback/suggestions to either calm my nerves OR help me with the decision (basically: to apico or to extract?)
I wouldn't do surgery until after really trying to get rid of it myself first. I would switch my toothpaste to Xclear which has Xylitol in it which gets rid of the bacteria in your mouth after you eat. If you can't brush, they have mints and gum you can take after you eat something called "Spry". Then I'd take "Sovereign Silver" refined colloidal silver. I take twice the amount recommended and let it sit in my mouth under the tongue for 30 seconds before swallowing to let the mucous membranes absorb it and let it get into the blood stream. I'd also take at least 5000 mgs of Vit C with bioflavenoids and 400 IUs of Vit E at minimum each day. This plus good sleep and eating healthfully really works. I've gotten rid of growths/cysts/tumors etc all over my body including a couple I've seen in my mouth. Do it for about a week or two after it is gone and then you can stop taking the Sovereign silver but keep taking the anti-oxidants. You can take less Vit C for maintenance. I take 3000 per day but you can take up to 10k or bowel tolerance to do a Vit C flush.
Also taking Kyolic Garlic is great for fighting off whatever it is that ills you. This is good to take regularly as a preventative too.
If you go to a Naturopathic doctor (a doctor trained in natural medicine and in figuring out causes of disease) they can help you figure out a program that would help you help your immune system to get rid of the problem without surgery.
It is important that the doctor is a Naturopath (not a medical doctor that calls himself 'holistic").
Don't take colloidal silver; it's a waste of money, can turn your skin blue, and has no benefit to boils on the gums.
Don't take more than the RDA of vitamin C; anything beyond that is a waste of money, because your system will flush out any C that it doesn't actually make use of (which would be, anything more than the daily recommended amount).
Don't go to a non-dental Naturopath OR a holistic non-dental doctor for a boil inside the mouth. Infections in the mouth, if not treated properly, can lead to brain damage and death. There are holistic dentists, and there are dentists who double as Naturopaths; if you want to go that route, all the better. But for something in your mouth, especially along the gumline and teeth, you go to a licensed dentist and/or ENT doctor.
Also, vitamin E isn't going to do diddly squat for a boil on the gumline. You can take it, it won't hurt you, but again it's a waste of money if you're hoping it'll treat a boil.
You have an infection in your mouth. You need to take it seriously, and treat it aggressively and promptly.
the more traumatic part of the situation is the reason/root canal done on the molar to begin with. My root canal failed (I have two others) because the material was deteriorating (from the 70's). Never had pain with the apico years ago and would do another in a heartbeat rather than lose a tooth. You might have some discomfort around the stitches, but most people say the upper arch is more sensitive than the lower, so if it's a lower 2nd molar, I would just get it done..........
The dentists are used to people being scared..........most people do not like to go to the dentist, esp for extractions, oral surgery, etc........People are so lawsuit happy now and malpractice insurance is so high that they have to ask and tell and ask and tell over and over what MIGHT happen or go wrong. Most of them make you sign off on it, just as you do in a hospital...........If they don't cover themselves, their insurance will keep rising. If you had a bacteria filled pus area on your foot, you would get it taken care of. Never do the natural treatment for these types of infections......it can get worse and then you would be really screwed.....it might spread to the adjacent tooth or worse.....infection in a tooth doesn't just affect your tooth......it flows all through your bloodstream. It will not be as bad as you are projecting. It really needs to be done. Your dentists and doctors sound very reasonable and thorough to me. Sounds like you are getting excellent care.
You have an infection in your mouth. You need to take it seriously, and treat it aggressively and promptly.
Good advice Anon! I'm all for the holistic, organic, natural way in most issues with myself (food, treatments, no drugs)... but when it comes to advice for a "patient" without being a professional or seeing a medical history, it can be more than dangerous, as you've pointed out.
The OP has some fears (normal) & perhaps needs to seek out a 2nd opinion (also normal) to assuage her fears. But... please don't wait. Get your tooth taken care of as soon as you can before you end up with further, more complex problems.
As an example, when I was 35, I had appendicitis. After 15-yrs of weekly acupuncture, Chinese herbs, Chinese massage & chiropractic care, which virtually cured asthma/allergies (in me, I'm not saying it's for everyone, but they were all godsend practitioners/treatments for me), if the doctor offered any of those for free to treat my appendix, I'd have declined & said no, do surgery asap. My appendix burst as he began surgery a few hours later.
My point is that none of us can give you medical advice, even if we're in the medical profession, without examining you, your xrays, taking a medical history. Believe me, I'm more than a bit apprehensive of doctors, dentists & all that is in the surgery realm, but if I felt fearful, I'd just see another specialist & keep going 'til I felt confident in his/her abilities. You'll be fine, really. Take care of your medical condition in the way you feel most comfortable & confident.
Check you dentist's credentials (dentist.com & 1800dentist.com) & go to yelp.com for client reviews if that will help in choosing a practitioner. Good luck!
Just had Apico done a few days ago...felt nothing during surgery and the whole thing took an hr.
Make sure you go to an experienced endodontic surgeon who uses microscopic INSTRUMENTS(they
can check for small cracks with a special dye that otherwise maybe missed) only needed Otc medicine
Every six hrs...but you must stay ahead of the pain for 24/48 hours. Swelling for sure/use ice. Don't
wait too long and don't muck about with holistic. my abscess ate up a lot of bone. I wish you good
Luck
If natural medicine is going to help it will work from the inside out and be permanent. There are many cases where people have had bone grow back. I'd saw do what you are comfortable with but a mistake in surgery will have more injurious and cause potential harm that will be longer lasting if not permanent. If proven naturopaths now are daily helping people get rid of Cancerous tumors without using any conventional methods, I don't see why this would be any different.
You just need to also make sure you are eating a CLEAN diet. NO SUGAR, NO DAIRY NO refined wheat. Try to eat lots of organic water rich raw leafy green veggies juiced through an auger style juicer like organic celery, cucumbers also kale, collard greens. If you don't have one try to pulverize them in a blender (a Blentec or Vitamix is good for that). This is good because you don't have to chew as much and chance getting a piece of food stuck in your mouth somewhere. Also the machines do help to predigest your food and do a better job than you'd do chewing (unless you chew all your food so well that it is liquified before you swallow it.
You might want to also take a REALLY good digestive enzyme. Most people that have cysts and tumors have toxins stored in them. They need to detox but they also may not be absorbing their nutrients very well. If your elimination is messed up that is another sign your digestion isn't working properly.
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The quick story: I have what they used to call a "gum boil" which basically is an infected pocket/blister/bump on the gum. It's a symptom of something deeper, which in my case isn't showing up on the x-ray. My regular dentist (who has been doing 'right' by me for over 10 yrs) said I should see an oral surgeon if the bump didn't go away with antibiotics---which it did not. I just saw a local oral surgeon (who I and my kids/friends have been to, and who we all think is FABulous) who said I should get an apicoectomy--I think I'm spelling it right--basically it's where they cut into the gum and clean out and/or remove the tip or part of the root. I'd be getting it done on a tooth that's been root canaled (ages ago) and crowned. HERE is the sticky wicket (isn't there always one?)--it's a bottom molar, tooth #30---2nd molar from the back, for me the 3rd tooth as I still have wisdoms---and those teeth are right above a nerve in your jaw wherein if it's damaged/nicked, the patient can experience temporary OR permanent nerve damage, thus numbness....a feeling like you're permanently shot with novocaine. Needless to say I'm freaking out. My oral surgeon says it's a 1 in 20,000 chance. As much as I trust him, I'm now paranoid/doubtful--after all, who cares more about one's health than oneself? What if this and what if that's are running through my mind. SO....I'm wondering if anyone has had this done, what your story/success/nonsuccess was, and maybe if you could, who did the surgery. Thanks in advance. Hoping for wisdom/insight/feedback/suggestions to either calm my nerves OR help me with the decision (basically: to apico or to extract?)
Apicos are pretty easy..........
I'm all for the holistic, organic, natural way in most issues with myself (food, treatments, no drugs)... but when it comes to advice for a "patient" without being a professional or seeing a medical history, it can be more than dangerous, as you've pointed out. 
