I have a tender growth on top of a molar. It’s been there for a couple of years and I keep asking about it. My dentist said he isn’t sure if it is a cyst or just an abscess. He said he could take it out or leave it, and that a chronic abscess is not that big a deal. He sent me to a specialist and he said he could do a root canal treatment, but he can’t guarantee it isn’t a cyst. They also mentioned they could cut the gum, peel it back, and go into the bone to trim the tip of the root, removing whatever is under there if the root canal doesn’t do the job. What do you think? I just want this gone. It scares me.
Felicia
Dear Felicia,
While dentists are taught a lot about cysts in dental school, cysts are actually quite rare. While there is a chance that it could be a cyst, it is not likely.
I would go ahead and get the root canal treatment. I’m not too thrilled with the idea of your dentist leaving a chronic abscess in your mouth for so long. I’m also not crazy about him saying “just an abscess.” While this was left in place, your abscess, which is an infection, has been spilling bacteria into your body all this time. In some cases, these can spread dangerously and become a dental emergency.
The good news is that once your infection has been dealt with, you’re going to find that you suddenly feel just a little bit better overall. This is because dental infections affect your general health as well.
As for the gum procedure. I do not recommend that you do it. This is an apicoectomy. In this case, I think it is a bit of an overtreatment.
Schedule that root canal.
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