I had a two hour emergency root canal yesterday afternoon.
Is it strep A? No way of telling. Unable to culture. The antibodies may go high in response to any stress: our immune system gets all wound up. I am seeing my regular doctor today and still want to test the strep antibodies, because they make me feel so awful.
The face lump will hopefully go away over the next month, though it may get larger for the first 48-72 hours. Oh, it could also coalesce into a "fluctuant mass" and need to be drained. She is going to recheck me in 6 months and one year. If it acts up, she can drain it or do a second surgery. Clinic cancelled until Monday, because I question my powers of concentration during this. Also, it hurts. The endodontist said 90% chance of getting better and keeping the tooth -- the bone has eroded at the base. "Was there any way of preventing this? The bone has been sore since last June."
"No."
What she really means is "not with present medical and dental technology".
My last root canal was over ten years ago and perhaps nearer 15 -- the technology has changed, she drilled right through the crown and used some non metal filling stuff. There are tinier and more elaborate drills and files and 3 D computer xrays and a microscope to peer into my tooth. It was not that painful but the strep antibodies make me cry. Which infuriates me.
Off from work, sigh, this was not planned and is disruptive and I do hate cancelling patients. They are patient. I'm not.
Not dead yet.