My gums are swollen directly above an old root canal...?

I was told by a dentist I saw a few years ago that I have "hereditary hyper-decay disorder." Basically, although I take extraordinary care of my teeth... they get cavities all the time. I have mutliple fillings on every tooth, 4 root canals, two molar extractions, and need two more molar extractions. I had a root canal on an upper molar about 2-1/2 years ago. I have never had it crowned (I know that I need to have this done) the molar below it was also a root canal. I never had it crowned either and the tooth has rotted to just one small jut of tooth. I also grind my teeth at night, and have ground this tooth piece into the filled portion of the molar above it... now I have swollen gums on the outter portion of this molar... it feels almost like a liquid filled bubble, and is sensitive to touch... it feels like I am pushing the molar when I feel the swollen gum with my fingers. At this time in my life, I just do not have the funds for a dentist visit. Any suggestions?

My gums are swollen directly above an old root canal...?
It sounds like the root canal is failing. have it evaluated by a specialist.


Incidentally, the "disorder" you suffer from is some BS made up by your dentist. You probably have a high level of acid producing bacteria. (Dentists could check your bacterial levels, but I find most dentists are not much interested in preventing your decay).If you are good with brushing, flossing and fluoride, then you should examine your diet (acidic foods, fermentable carbohydrates as between meal snacks).


It is easy to decrease bacterial levels by bushing with Betadine (with a bit of paste for taste) for 2 minutes 5 days in a row at night once a month. It also helps to add xylitol to your diet (gum or mints). 5grams to 15 grams over the course of the day. I've had a ton of cavities, my ex husband has full dentures (38 yrs old) and our daughter (14yrs old) is still cavity free. I tested her early and started in with these other therapies. It irritates me when dentists perpetuate old wives tales!
Reply:well, it sounds like you have some infection going on. as a dental assistant, i see this a lot. you have an abscess, which is toxic. that's all the infection that had nowhere to go. by not crowning your tooth, it's liable to break off into your gum, which will cause even more problems. you can chew on cloves, that helps with pain. the all-in-all answer though, is to get back to the dentist. i know its a lot of money, but that infection is spreading throughout your whole body, including your heart.
Reply:I had the exact same thing happen with one of my teeth that I had a root canal done on. The tooth has rotted to just a tiny little bit of a tooth, and just a few days ago I had the swolen gums and felt like I was pushing the molar when I would touch the swolen gum. I went to the dentist and was going to have them extract it but he gave me some antiboitics and some pain medicine and since taking that the swelling has gone down and that tooth feels fine again. I ended up having them extract a wisdom tooth that was hurting much worse instead. It could be an infection. It might not cost too much for a dentist if all you have them do is x-ray it and take a look at it and prescribe you some antibiotics for a few days. Call around dentists for prices on extractions if you'd rather them just pull it. I found a cheap dentist that only charges 65 bucks for simple extractions. And 100 for complex extractions. Not bad because I don't have dental insurance either.
Reply:I agree with Helen DDS except for the part about measuring bacteria in the mouth. Yes, you can measure the concentration and levels of bacteria in the saliva, but not on the tooth structure. These tests are for calculating the probability that the mother or caregiver of a child will pass on the bacteria from her mouth to a child. NOT to determine the risk of developing cavities. Helen should get the best answer because of her other points, but I did want to point this out. And yes, there is no such hereditary hyper-decay disorder.