Apicoectomy aftermath

[bfk39]

I had an apicoectomy 5 months ago. These were my lower front teeth #24 and #23, right next to one another.

Pain was totally manageable after the treatment and subsided for the most part after. However I have lingering tenderness and sensitivity of a sort in/about the teeth treated, and an adjacent untreated tooth (#25). It's a bit hard to describe... I guess it's "soreness" around the two teeth treated and #25 seems regularly irritated with some swelling and a bit of throbbing that comes and goes. That swelling affecting #25 is noticeable as my bite changes ever so slightly and I can feel that tooth touching the tooth above it more when I close my jaws together.

There's no sores or pus or anything visible on my gums. Then again, I did not have that when initially treated, either. Just pain.

I imagine given how invasive the treatment was, bone being carved out and all, the entire area is going to be upset for a while but I'm more worried about a lingering infection. However, there is not the pain or feeling I had prior to the procedure so I also could see minimizing my concerns, too.

My endo didn't schedule a follow up for any sooner than a year after my treatment. So, that's still 7 months from now. I could return to him but wanted to hear from others who may have had this procedure, too.

Thanks for reading.

 

[bfk39]

And, to elaborate as I don't have xrays at hand... these two teeth were treated with root canals initially. That did not resolve the pain I experienced but lessened it. The dentist who did the root canals relied on traditional x-rays for imaging and did not have more in depth options like a CT scan, which the endodontist I went to did employ to get a better view of these teeth. The endo was my second opinion given lingering pain. He determined the initial root canals did not reach the entire bottom/apex of these teeth, given the nerve channel within the tooth had a slight turn at the bottom and the tools used simply could not/did not get everything. He did not recommend re-treatment with root canals and moved to apico as the next option.