About 3 months ago. I had a tooth abscess. I was given a course of amoxicillin that dealt with the infection but gave me terrible Thrush that took quite a long time to get on top of. This was before I was diagnosed with PMR, but I was suffering really badly with it. My dentist is up a flight of stairs which was an absolute nightmare to get up. Anyway, they said that I could probably do with a root canal. Does anyone know if I need this root canal seeing as the infection has gone and hasn’t come back? I had a depo injection last week so I’m wondering about how that affects dental work. I really really want to avoid any more antibiotics as the Thrush was worse than the infection!
i realise no one will know if I should have this done, I’m just asking generally. Thanks
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Bramble2000
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Has the dentist said you need a root canal because that is what they would do for anyone else? Or have they said that taking into consideration of your potential infection risk from immunosuppression? Root canal as a procedure can also introduce infection so you need confidence in your dentist.
I didn’t get on with my root canal and my dentist kept fobbing me off when I said I was having intermittent pain. Over a few years it seeps into my jaw bone and sinus. Having the tooth out was a game changer. I have four other friends/family who also ended up having their tooth removed after a root canal procedure due to infection. Others I know have been fine including my husband. All I’m saying is that it isn’t a simple yes or no.
I had a checkup after I’d finished the anti biotics and I asked about the tooth I’d had the infection in. They said, “I suppose you probably need a root canal”. I had a root canal on the NHS several years ago. It was a nightmare and took 4 months during which time I lost half the tooth. I suspect they’d give anti biotics cover but last time it took about two months to get on top of the fungal skin thing. I really will struggle to get up those steps again let alone sitting in the chair for an hour. I assume though that I stand to risk another abscess if I don’t get it done. Teeth are a real pain, literally!
Personally speaking if it's not what dentists call a 'smiley' tooth (one that shows when you smile) then I would just have it taken out! By far the easier option all round and if it's gone it can't cause any more trouble! Good Luck!
On the root canal question, it is thorough and can save the affected teeth. I was amazed at how straight forward and pain free it all was, I was expecting horrors. Adjustment was made to the anaesthetic because of steroid use. I can recommend the treatment, I think the reputation is from the bad old days. It makes reinfection less likely too.
Rotten about the thrush, can’t answer the depo question, your dentist will though.
I had one several years ago that took 4 months to complete and I lost half the tooth in the process. I guess what I’m asking is, if all has been ok for the last three months or so, do I really need it? If I don’t have it, am I inevitably going to get another injection at some point. It takes a huge amount of effort for me to go to the dentist. I just don’t know if it’s worth it.
you know that nobody can give you the total reassurance you need, not even your dentist. I really sympathise with the fear and dread, I wanted to convey my personal relief about the root canal work on two front teeth. I would have worried about it flaring up at some point. I loathe dental treatment but it has got so much better.
I’m not bothered about the root canal itself. I want to know if it’s necessary. Then I can decide if it’s worth the great pain I’ll be in by getting there and being in the chair for an hour. I said in my op that no one can really answer this for me. Thanks.
I’ve had two lots of root canal work done in the last year; both times because of an infection, and both times I was given amoxicillin before the procedure. The dentist knew I was on pred, but not alendronic acid, which was more important
I guess only the dentist will know of the necessity for root canal work in your case, but I feel you should take heed of SnazzyDs comments regarding what can happen if you delay indefinitely. At the end of the day, it’s up to you really.
Sorry if this is not much help, but I hope everything works out for you ok.
Like SJ, my root canal experience was superb - done and dusted in 2 visits and no problems I'm aware of since. I was on steroids, there were bacteria present and they all had to be cleared out but that was it. But a comment like that makes me wonder how essential it is. And a root canal gone wrong is not nice.
Coincidentally I've just read another post from someone who is suffering from a thrush infection which won't clear up. So I looked it up. Apparently candida albicans thrives when a person eats sweet things. And it doesn't like food like yoghurt. I imagine if you go ahead with this procedure, or potentially an extraction, if you were to avoid eating sweet foods and at the same time consumed fermented foods (of which yoghurt is only one) you would reduce your risk of developing another case of thrush. Touch wood, I've never had one, and perhaps it's at least in part because my normal diet limits sweet foods and includes several fermented foods. Who knows, but maybe this will help, whtever you decide to do.
PS "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Recent experience, since I've become aged, is some dentists like to make money. I avoid one of the dentists in the clinic we go to because he has always made me feel bad about my teeth, but other dentists in the practice don't see the need for what he suggests. My husband is scheduled for an extraction (the tooth is decaying under a crown) and already this dentist has been encouraging him to have an implant. It's a hidden molar. I've had a gap in my mouth for ages, maybe 20 years, and no one knows except me. T'would be different were it a front, visible tooth. 😬
My old dentist just retired. heartbroken to see him go, but glad he is happy and retired. The young guy who took his place is just awful. I have an appointment next week with an older dentist. The young ones are all enthralled with the new implants, at 3 to 5 thousand a tooth, that is the only thing they are interested in.
If it were me, and the tooth is not in an obvious spot, I would opt for extraction. I've been missing a tooth at the bottom right side since I was a teenager (I am now 72 and blessed to have almost all of my teeth). There is a gap where one tooth has moved from the side front toward the back because there was nothing to stop it, but the gap doesn't show. In the very least, no risk of thrush and losing the tooth in spite of the root canal. That's all I've got.
If it were me I would have the tooth pulled. In 2016 My 2nd left molar started feeling "weird". Not pain, just felt a bit off. Dentist x-rayed. No infection showing on X-ray. Dentist suggested refilling tooth (3rd time) and a crown. I did not have the money at the time so had the tooth pulled. The root of the tooth was black and had pus on the end of it. The infection was "encapsulated", meaning antibiotics would not have been able to reach the infection. The next year, 2017, the tooth behind that tooth started feeling bad. Dentist put a crown on the tooth. This time I had the money. During this time period I developed a strange feeling in the back of my throat. I started coughing out a nasty scab a few times a week. I learned just this past year the problem is inflamed adenoid tissue. Two rounds of antibiotics did not help. I am seeing a dentist next week to see about having the tooth removed. Since the tooth with the crown is the only upper tooth on the left side it comes down with so much pressure it has cracked the bottom tooth it sits on completely in half. I deeply suspect the adenoid issue is an ascending infection caused by the crowned tooth. CT scan of sinuses is clear, so either infection is ascending or descending. I now have severe sleep apnea and the CPap machine helps me breathe, but does not stop the choking from the adenoid tissue. Because of PMR/GCA the ENT will not do surgery on adenoids. The sleep apnea has caused severe high blood pressure. The high blood pressure caused kidney damage. I am stage 1 kidney failure. Get the tooth pulled.
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Root canal, two surgeries and an ablation. 
Periodontal Abscess while on Prednisone 
