Good afternoon from the Eastern Time Zone, LA.
Made an appt with another dentist for tomorrow afternoon (the ex-Navy dude). Didn't tell them I am looking for a second opinion. Just told them I want a general checkup (bitewings) and PA to look at the tooth that the crown popped off of. I want to hear his diagnosis and compare it with what the other guy said. I feel better about getting the second opinion like Sue and Bridge recommended. I'm still a bit confused why the first guy is sending me to a specialist to confirm if I have a fractured root or not. FirstGuy did a PA on that root. If he can't tell from the PA then why do the PA? Just several things I got to thinking about after H n B suggested a second opinion. Things that make you go, "hmmmm". 
Good for you! A fractured root, from only my personal experience cannot be detected so easily from a General Dentists Office. I think the specialists have much better equipment to detect it perhaps? My original dentist was doing some "make work, make money" stupidity on two teeth at the gum line, which were fine as far as I could tell. The drill or whatever she was using to "rough the surface" for fillings was was so strong, I then felt a "crack" in the next tooth over. Yep. That witch fractured my root canal. Apparently failed root canals do not reflect pain but can cause bacterial then gum infections. But in my case, the toothache from that fractured root that I had after her mess was the worst thing I ever had. Went to the specialists who confirmed it was cracked and therefore the tooth would have to come out. I just cried when he said "oh, that's all we can do today, you need to make an appointment for the extraction" because the pain was so very very very bad and remained so till it was removed. Anyway, my two cents worth is that a fractured root canal can cause both No Pain, or a Tremendous Amount, depending on where the infection is and that can only be determined by specific xray equipment (I think).Made an appt with another dentist for tomorrow afternoon (the ex-Navy dude). Didn't tell them I am looking for a second opinion. Just told them I want a general checkup (bitewings) and PA to look at the tooth that the crown popped off of. I want to hear his diagnosis and compare it with what the other guy said. I feel better about getting the second opinion like Sue and Bridge recommended. I'm still a bit confused why the first guy is sending me to a specialist to confirm if I have a fractured root or not. FirstGuy did a PA on that root. If he can't tell from the PA then why do the PA? Just several things I got to thinking about after H n B suggested a second opinion. Things that make you go, "hmmmm".
Made an appt with another dentist for tomorrow afternoon (the ex-Navy dude). Didn't tell them I am looking for a second opinion. Just told them I want a general checkup (bitewings) and PA to look at the tooth that the crown popped off of. I want to hear his diagnosis and compare it with what the other guy said. I feel better about getting the second opinion like Sue and Bridge recommended. I'm still a bit confused why the first guy is sending me to a specialist to confirm if I have a fractured root or not. FirstGuy did a PA on that root. If he can't tell from the PA then why do the PA? Just several things I got to thinking about after H n B suggested a second opinion. Things that make you go, "hmmmm".
Good approach! From my time in the orthodontic office, I know there was a chain of referrals. Dentist were the main hub. They referred to orthos, so the orthos “courted” their favor. Orthos referred to oral surgeons and periodontists, so there was some courting of orthos.
Endodontists rely on dentists, so there’s no doubt that “courting” goes on and the dentist will refer to them whenever possible. Add to that the meddling of insurance companies (referring doctor requirements, how much they get paid, etc.) and legal CYA. You end up with more trips to specialists than you actually need.
I have a dentist that as much as I hate dentists, I can't say a bad word about him (well, except for the $$$ he costs). It doesn't hurt that we share a birthday lol!
I had pain that he couldn't diagnose, thought it might be that I needed a root canal so they referred me to an endodontist. I did get a root canal, there was one tooth that possibly had a crack. Unfortunately, after the procedure, the pain came back even worse. The dentist told me to go back to the endo. The endo did a 3D Cat scan and said it all looked good. He said my symptoms seemed like Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) and told me to see a Neurologist. I got lucky and got to see one the next day due to a cancelled appointment (slightly snowy day). Yes, I have TN. That endo saved me a lot of pain and aggravation with his quick diagnosis. The stories I hear from others with TN are scary, painful and sad. Their diagnosis is missed so they get more root canals and teeth pulled before someone figures it out. I sent flowers to the endo to thank him.
There are some good guys out there, I hope you find one.
I had pain that he couldn't diagnose, thought it might be that I needed a root canal so they referred me to an endodontist. I did get a root canal, there was one tooth that possibly had a crack. Unfortunately, after the procedure, the pain came back even worse. The dentist told me to go back to the endo. The endo did a 3D Cat scan and said it all looked good. He said my symptoms seemed like Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) and told me to see a Neurologist. I got lucky and got to see one the next day due to a cancelled appointment (slightly snowy day). Yes, I have TN. That endo saved me a lot of pain and aggravation with his quick diagnosis. The stories I hear from others with TN are scary, painful and sad. Their diagnosis is missed so they get more root canals and teeth pulled before someone figures it out. I sent flowers to the endo to thank him.
There are some good guys out there, I hope you find one.
Yikes at those stories from @Hulamoon and @WhiteHighlights !!!
Glad you both got it all sorted out. And now my teeth hurt.
Glad you both got it all sorted out. And now my teeth hurt.
Evening...… My phone got an update the other day to give it access to 5g. Noticed tonight that it was receiving 5g. Not that tit matters..
Hmmm. I just got an update from my carrier but not sure what for. I switched on the tower but it says LTE like it always has.Evening...… My phone got an update the other day to give it access to 5g. Noticed tonight that it was receiving 5g. Not that tit matters..
The crown should have prevented the tooth from cracking, but it isn't a guarantee. A Root canal is removing the nerve from the tooth, which also makes it brittle. Hence the crown to keep it from fracturing.Made an appt with another dentist for tomorrow afternoon (the ex-Navy dude). Didn't tell them I am looking for a second opinion. Just told them I want a general checkup (bitewings) and PA to look at the tooth that the crown popped off of. I want to hear his diagnosis and compare it with what the other guy said. I feel better about getting the second opinion like Sue and Bridge recommended. I'm still a bit confused why the first guy is sending me to a specialist to confirm if I have a fractured root or not. FirstGuy did a PA on that root. If he can't tell from the PA then why do the PA? Just several things I got to thinking about after H n B suggested a second opinion. Things that make you go, "hmmmm".
Endo can look microscopically for a crack/fracture, they can't be seen on regular X-rays (as far as I know). We only go by symptoms to diagnose a crack.
Like Hula said (she's got this down!) in a tooth with root canal, the fractured root can cause problems later in the bone and tissues. It's allowing bacteria down in through the crack. It doesn't hurt because the nerve has been removed from the tooth, until there's an abscess in the bone and gum.
Anxious to hear what the new DDS has to say. Especially about the other teeth they want to work on.
Such a great, informative, helpful group here! Whenever something puzzling happens or something I need information on comes up, my first thought is, “I need to ask my ECF buddies about this.”
Y’all are way better than Google.
Y’all are way better than Google.
What I don’t understand is if a fractured root is so menacing and a regular dentist isn’t capable of making a positive ID then why wouldn’t all dentists always send patients to an endo in all root canal cases?
Such a great, informative, helpful group here! Whenever something puzzling happens or something I need information on comes up, my first thought is, “I need to ask my ECF buddies about this.”
Y’all are way better than Google.
ummm...
where do you think we get our info??? 
Mornin All...
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