Expert: Tony Appleton BDS DPDS - 10/2/2008

Question
I'm 24. A few days ago I went to a new dentist due to pain in a tooth (Ive not gone for 3 years because a dentist totally traumatized me and messed my teeth up)

my upper canine tooth (# 6 ?) suddenly started hurting whenever I would eat or drink anything about a week ago. the pain got worst within a few days.

the dr says I need a root canal but that the canine tooth I'm complaining about looks very healthy on the X-ray. nothing wrong. but the two teeth on both sides of it are small cavities. so she said to wait to see if the pain will switch to the real tooth that needs a root canal.

I dont know what to do. Is she right in saying this? is there a way to know? what should I do?! New dentist? she says I might need another root canal if I don't pick the right tooth the first time !
I don't want to get a root canal on the wrong tooth for no reason ! could it just be it needs antibiotics or the root had trama and will go back to normal in a while?

how long can I safely leave my tooth untreated that needs a root canal ? I need time to figure out what to do about this...

Answer
Hi Jessica

Often when symptoms start such as this it can be quite difficult to diagnose the problem accurately.  In particular a dental abscess does not show up on an x-ray for around 10 days.  It is prudent in this case just to wait a little while and see how the symptoms develop so that a firm, accurate diagnosis can be made.  Once that has been done appropriate treatment can be carried out.

Regards

Tony Appleton