I am posting this here for Doug.
I had damaged (chipped off a section) of my upper front tooth as a kid after taking a header on my bicycle. About 20 years later, I had root canal on the same patched up tooth. Last year, I reported some soreness with the tooth so I was sent to a root canal specialist for a retreatment. He opened up the tooth and said I had resorption and had to get it extracted. In December 2014, I saw a prominent local oral surgeon for the extraction and immediate implant. I continued to have throbbing lower-level pain months after the implant. The surgeon put me on multiple scripts of A/B (probably went thru 6 full scripts). In June 2015, I still had discomfort so he cut open a “flap” to expose the implant. He found no infection present and added some grafting material where he said he saw some exposed treads. I went back to see him in early September where he replaced the healing plate and I reported it was painful when he messing with it. He told me there was nothing more he could do and I should proceed with the crown mold and installation. I saw my dentist today and he removed the healing plate and found gum tissue had grown over the implant. He consulted the oral surgeon and was instructed to crank on the healing plate (with a torque wrench) to cut off the blood supply to the tissue. I go back in a week to have him try again. I was feeling much better in early September (just a dull tolerable ache and no throbbing) but the pain returned after the healing plate was replaced. The pain was ramped up again today after further messing with the implant.
I am about to drop $2500 on the abutment and crown and am very concerned that the implant is not right. I suspect it may be a nerve issue. I don’t have any numbness or tingling but have the intermittent throbbing and general pain (always after any tweeks with the implant). It feels like a toothache. Back in June, the oral surgeon mentioned that removing the implant would be a big job and result in add’l bone loss and I might not be a candidate for another implant attempt. I also developed a new symptom after the implant last December. Whenever I’d walk outside during the cold winter, I’d get an immediate toothache-like pain (just breathing thru my nose). The pain would subside about 10 minutes after coming back inside the warm house. I mentioned it to the oral surgeon and he brushed it off as not something implant related when I feel it is 100% related. He took xrays and scans so i assume he’d see if a screw penetrated my sinus cavity. Not sure how a nerve issue is identified.
So I guess my long question is …. do I proceed with the expensive crown installation even though I have pain/throbbing with the implant? Is this something that may eventually go away or am I looking at an eventual implant removal? I so wished I didn’t go to the root canal guy last fall and just took my chances with my original tooth. I don’t think it was in any immediate risk of breaking as it came out in one piece after 10 minutes of effort by the oral surgeon. But I had no choice after the root canal guy opened it up.
Sorry for the long post but I just wanted to report all my info. I suspect (after reading online) that dental implant failure is much larger than the <5% they claim when offering their services.