To pull...or not to pull. That is the question.

Colleen

Colleen

Senior Member
Location
Pennsylvania
Last week, I got an abscess on my gum above an upper back tooth. I did all the home remedy things (warm salt water rinses, baking soda rinses, etc.) but nothing helped and I was living on oatmeal and toast and jello and soup (and still am) because chewing has been difficult.

I finally went to the dentist yesterday. Mind you...that was a traumatizing effort for me as I've had some really horrible experiences in the past. My husband had been to this dentist and assured me he was a gentle dentist. I was skeptical of his evaluation because my husband has a very high threshold for pain. He's even had teeth filled without any anesthetic. Anyway, I knew I couldn't ignore this abscess. It had been almost a week.

I had x-rays and the doctor told me I have 2 back teeth where the abscess is that was loose because of bone loss and they need to come out. That made me start shaking. I am scared to death of anything more than a filling. He said he would prescribe Halcion for me to take before I had them out. YIKES! He gave me a Rx for penicillin for the abscess, which I started yesterday. He also talked to me about options to replace the pulled teeth since they are molars and are needed for grinding food.

I've been back and forth with myself on should I get them out or not. My neighbor lady has been having a terrible time with her teeth. She goes to a different dentist and had some teeth pulled because of bone loss but they can't get her bridges to fit her. This has been going on for months for her. I feel so bad for her. She's 87.

I'm looking for input from anyone that's gone through this. Did you have them removed? Did you take Halcion to relax you? Did you have any side effects from it?

What would you do??
 

Yes of course get your teeth pulled. If you’ve exhausted all holistic means of healing but it’s still infected then get it pulled.
You are already taking antibiotics. If this is caused by receding gums the chances of it getting better on its own are slim.
Ive had teeth pulled before. It hurts but it’s temporary and then over.
If you keep them, chances are they are always going to be aggravated which can wear on your physical and mental well being
 
How do you fix loose teeth along with bone loss? I don't see how you can. I don't even think you can get dental implants for that because it requires bone. I understand your dental phobia because I had it too, and still do but because of water going down my throat. I hate that, but I've gotten mostly over that. But otherwise I've even had a root canal without Novocaine. Never had a toothache in my life except for an abscessed tooth. If you don't like what your dentist is telling you, then get another opinion, but I just don't see how you can expect to keep those two teeth.
 

Olivia said:
How do you fix loose teeth along with bone loss? I don't see how you can. I don't even think you can get dental implants for that because it requires bone. I understand your dental phobia because I had it too, and still do but because of water going down my throat. I hate that, but I've gotten mostly over that. But otherwise I've even had a root canal without Novocaine. Never had a toothache in my life except for an abscessed tooth. If you don't like what your dentist is telling you, then get another opinion, but I just don't see how you can expect to keep those two teeth.
Click to expand...

Many oral surgeons perform a bone graft procedure to build up areas of bone loss. That graft must heal before any implants are done.
 
Colleen said:
Last week, I got an abscess on my gum above an upper back tooth. I did all the home remedy things (warm salt water rinses, baking soda rinses, etc.) but nothing helped and I was living on oatmeal and toast and jello and soup (and still am) because chewing has been difficult.

I finally went to the dentist yesterday. Mind you...that was a traumatizing effort for me as I've had some really horrible experiences in the past. My husband had been to this dentist and assured me he was a gentle dentist. I was skeptical of his evaluation because my husband has a very high threshold for pain. He's even had teeth filled without any anesthetic. Anyway, I knew I couldn't ignore this abscess. It had been almost a week.

I had x-rays and the doctor told me I have 2 back teeth where the abscess is that was loose because of bone loss and they need to come out. That made me start shaking. I am scared to death of anything more than a filling. He said he would prescribe Halcion for me to take before I had them out. YIKES! He gave me a Rx for penicillin for the abscess, which I started yesterday. He also talked to me about options to replace the pulled teeth since they are molars and are needed for grinding food.

I've been back and forth with myself on should I get them out or not. My neighbor lady has been having a terrible time with her teeth. She goes to a different dentist and had some teeth pulled because of bone loss but they can't get her bridges to fit her. This has been going on for months for her. I feel so bad for her. She's 87.

I'm looking for input from anyone that's gone through this. Did you have them removed? Did you take Halcion to relax you? Did you have any side effects from it?

What would you do??
Click to expand...

Colleen--they won't do anything until the infection is healed, so take the antibiotics and feel better. I'd suggest seeing a periodontist to see if there is anything that could be done to save the teeth.
 
Colleen said:
I'm looking for input from anyone that's gone through this. Did you have them removed? Did you take Halcion to relax you? Did you have any side effects from it? What would you do??
Click to expand...

I let a molar go bad and give me troubles for several weeks, several years ago, before I finally went to the dentist. It had become infected, and was causing gum and bone issues. I had it pulled, and the dentist wrote a prescription for an antibiotic to treat the infection. A few days with the pills, and it healed up ok....I was sorry I waited so long. Losing teeth is one of the "joys" of becoming a Senior, and few survive into their later years without partials, bridges, or false teeth....but Not treating these teeth as they go bad quite often leads to more problems in the long run.
 
That’s right. It’s perfectly normal to get receding gums as we age but nothing will quicken that up more than an abscess infected gums/teeth. The sooner you have these teeth pulled the better off you are. An infection like this can cause nose and sinus infection as well as chronic headaches. Remember infection is LIVE bacteria multiplying in your mouth. That in itself should help you make this decision.
 
C'est Moi said:
Many oral surgeons perform a bone graft procedure to build up areas of bone loss. That graft must heal before any implants are done.
Click to expand...

My wife had that done with a front tooth. It wasn't due to infection, but due to injury from several falls he had because of her epilepsy. I can't remember how much it came to total but it was either $4,000 or $6,000 bucks. And that was about 10 years ago.

If I was in your shoes, I think I'd tell the dentist to go ahead and yank em.
 
I'm guessing you haven't been to the dentist in a while. That was me when I was forced to go for an abscessed tooth in the lower jaw. Once the swelling went down after the antibiotic, I had a root canal to save the tooth. The procedure was absolutely painless. Back in the old days, the needle in the gum to shoot pain reliever was a hell of a source of pain itself. Even that didn't hurt. Things have changed tremendously.
 
johndoe said:
I'm guessing you haven't been to the dentist in a while. That was me when I was forced to go for an abscessed tooth in the lower jaw. Once the swelling went down after the antibiotic, I had a root canal to save the tooth. The procedure was absolutely painless. Back in the old days, the needle in the gum to shoot pain reliever was a hell of a source of pain itself. Even that didn't hurt. Things have changed tremendously.
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The difference is with the location of the tooth. Mine was upper back which is connected to the nasal and sinus right up above and the sinus gets filled up with pus, and it can get very bad, even with the infection treated with antibiotics. The pus still needs to get drained. It can be by root canal or by extraction, and not every tooth is a candidate for a root canal.
 
I definitely would have it pulled. I usually ask to be completely out for any dental procedure like that. I have seen so many older people go through extraordinary measures to save a tooth only to have to endure dental procedures well into their 90's when their general health is fragile or it is difficult to even get to a dentist. I wake up and think to myself that's one less tooth in my head to cause me pain.
 
johndoe said:
I'm guessing you haven't been to the dentist in a while. That was me when I was forced to go for an abscessed tooth in the lower jaw. Once the swelling went down after the antibiotic, I had a root canal to save the tooth. The procedure was absolutely painless. Back in the old days, the needle in the gum to shoot pain reliever was a hell of a source of pain itself. Even that didn't hurt. Things have changed tremendously.
Click to expand...

I had exactly the same experience several years ago. No problems with that tooth since the root canal. I had always heard that root canals were awful and painful things, but it wasn't painful at all (of course I had a local anesthetic) and wasn't awful either. Not even a big deal.
 
Thanks for all the replies and advise. I know I'm going to have to have them out. It was just such a shock. I've always had good teeth and have a few "old" fillings that have been there for 40 years. I have always brushed 2x a day, flossed, and rinsed. What I haven't done is have a check-up very often. I'm so scared of dentists that I avoid them at all costs! That was a mistake, I guess.

I was even considering like AZ Jim said....he had all his out. I can't imagine what that would cost since just a partial would cost me $1400 plus each tooth pulled would be $135. The dentist told me a dental implant for one tooth is $3000. It's all crazy expensive, isn't it?

I've got a decision to make. I'm not happy about the Halcion. I've read some not-so-good reviews on the after-effects....which makes me even more apprehensive about the whole thing.
 

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