Abscess on gum, nothing showed on x-ray?!
Question: this is really confusing me and my dentist. I had my back upper left molar removed last march (2007) because it was so infected it was dead. I had a abscess around the tooth then and I thought it would go away. but it didn't. I recentley went back to the dentist because the abscess hasn't gone away. I had 3 full mouth x-rays which show nothing at all. they thought it might be a cyst, or a peice of the infected tooth that was pulled still in there but nothing showed up. it looks completely normal. they also ruled out a saliva gland duct problem because there is pus in the abscesses. they recommended me to a dental surgeon and I have an appointment monday afternoon. what could this be? My jaw is always trobbing and it feels like I have an ear infection everyonce and a while. thanks :)
Answers: this is really confusing me and my dentist. I had my back upper left molar removed last march (2007) because it was so infected it was dead. I had a abscess around the tooth then and I thought it would go away. but it didn't. I recentley went back to the dentist because the abscess hasn't gone away. I had 3 full mouth x-rays which show nothing at all. they thought it might be a cyst, or a peice of the infected tooth that was pulled still in there but nothing showed up. it looks completely normal. they also ruled out a saliva gland duct problem because there is pus in the abscesses. they recommended me to a dental surgeon and I have an appointment monday afternoon. what could this be? My jaw is always trobbing and it feels like I have an ear infection everyonce and a while. thanks :)
If it's that far back in your jaw that it feels like an earache are you sure it's not TMJ?
You may have periodontal disease in that one spot, or there may be something there that's causing the infection, i.e. a piece of the tooth that was extracted. If nothing is showing up on the x-ray, it may be something in the gum and it has nothing to do with your teeth. It may be just an infected part of your gum, or another problem that's not related to your dental at all; it may be a medical problem, like an ear infection. If there was a piece of the tooth in there, it would have shown up on the x-ray.