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 Root Canal Case Study:
Not very long ago, a man by the name of Scott contacted our office. His wife, Mary, had already had several root canals performed. Along with those root canals, she had undergone a full mouth restoration that involved a full mouth of dental crowns.
Apparently these root canals were done in Mexico, as her husband mentioned a doctor in Mexico when he contacted us.
Problems arose after these root canals. Mary began to have serious pain emanating from the teeth which received the root canal work. Not only was the pain very severe, but the left side of Mary’s face began to swell up where she had had root canals performed on one lower molar and two upper molars.
Scott reported to us that he had contacted her dentist in Mexico about this problem. The dentist has recommended that Mary take Flagyl, a drug which is used to treat bacterial infections in the body, or infections that are caused by amoeba.
The Flagyl had some effect, but the problem kept occurring. The dentist then switched her over to ampicillin—a penicillin based antibiotic that has been in use since 1961. This drug had no effect, either, and Mary’s face remained swollen in the same areas as her root canals.
To complicate the matters, Mary seemed to have some sort of allergic reaction to ampicillin. She had horrific bouts of diarrhea, which Flagyl seemed to help, but which returned when she switched back to ampicillin.
Further consultation with the original dentist then ensued. Scott asked why neither drug had taken effect. To this, the dentist replied that the bridgework has not yet been completed, and because she grinds her teeth in her sleep. The dentist believes that this is the source of the pain and swelling on the left side of the mouth.
Scott then called our office to see if we agreed with this diagnosis. We told him that Bruxism (teeth grinding), can indeed cause a person to lose tooth enamel and suffer from tooth pain. However, it is not very common for it to cause swelling and pain on such a massive level. Furthermore, with several root canals and recent crowns, there were several other mitigating variables that we really needed to take a close look at before we could offer a medically-sound second opinion.
To begin with, we have to see if the root canals themselves were performed properly. We are not questioning the skills of another dentist here—we are simply seeing if something perhaps could have gone wrong.
Secondly, we need to check for possible gum disease and bone loss on the left side of Mary’s mouth. We also need to double check the bridgework and all dental crowns to make certain this work was done properly as well.
Having spent many years in full-mouth reconstructions such as this one, we have the knowledge and experience to diagnose and treat even complicated cases like Mary’s. However, we can only do this in our office with a full dental checkup and full set of X-rays. We asked Scott to call us for an appointment to schedule these procedures.
If you are looking to improve your smile without diminishing it with visible orthodontics in the process, please call us at 1-888-790-0309 to schedule an appointment for this highly specialized and technologically advanced alternative to metal braces.
Cosmetic Dentistry is a specialized field that requires extensive knowledge and experience to be done correctly. The Medical Center Dental Group in Houston, Texas brings all of that and more to the direct benefit of each and every patient we treat. Although we are located in the world famous Houston Medical Center at Scurlock Towers, we routinely see dental patients who travel from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Beaumont and Midland Texas to see Dr. Dale Brant, Dr. Charles Campbell or Dr. Elizabeth O’Sullivan-Winslow for their cosmetic denistry service.
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