Are teeth supposed to have "holes" in them?

Before Endodontist...

After Endodontist...

I called my dentist complaining about two teeth that were extremely bothersome. The one tooth he didn't see anything wrong with; the other tooth - my front bottom tooth - had to have a ROOT CANAL!! That will teach me to complain!

The tooth had a small fissure (crack) that was aggravating the nerve. My dentist told me I had to have a root canal, upon which he quickly became my personal counselor as I bawled. Yes, I cried. Real, big, crocodile tears. "I take really, really, REALLY good care of my teeth," I announced. "Always flossing, brushing, gargling with Listerine (the new purple kind with Fluoride) and it seems that I always have major things happen to my teeth." I complained that I would have a hideous smile now and I'd probably loose the tooth and have an ugly crown...on my front tooth!!! Crowns are for molar teeth - not front teeth!!!

Two tissues later, and lots of deep breathing as I got 3 shots to numb my face (one shot in front of my tooth, and two shots behind the tooth) my dentist, who is seriously the best dentist I've ever had, proceeded with the root canal from the back side of the tooth. But, of course, nothing could be easy. My nerve twisted and curled at the base of the tooth, and in trying to scrape out the nerve, my tooth was punctured through the front. My sweet dentist explained what had happened, patched the two holes in my tooth, and said he was going to send me to an Endodontist. (See BEFORE picture). The Endodontist has a $50,000 magnifier machine to help him see the teeny, tiny, canal to extract the twisting, curling nerve and finish the root canal. I cried even more. An Endodontist? What the...? That all happened Friday. My appointment with the Endodontist wasn't until Monday (today). I had the whole weekend to worry about what I ate, how (or if) I should brush & floss my teeth, and what to do when the screaming pain of having an exposed nerve in my tooth surfaced. Luckily, and happily, I was on Combunox. :)

Today, Monday, I saw the Endodontist who was wonderfully kind and understanding. He viewed my tooth and the 3 x-rays his tech had taken. I told him I wanted him to save my tooth, but the look on his face didn't seem like that was going to be possible. We reviewed my options: have a bridge (the teeth on opposite sides of the tooth would be drilled down and a partial denture would be put a partial denture in place - Dentures? Come on! I'm barely in my 30's!); have a tooth implant (a metal screw would be drilled into my jaw bone and a porcelain tooth attached to it, a 6-month process); or to have a crown - which he hoped would not be necessary as the integrity of the tooth was compromised due to the puncture to the front. And then he said......."I think you're going to need a gum graft." WHAT? Cry, cry, cry. I might have to be referred to a PERIODONTIST. A Periodontist!! I would joke with w/my friend @ Blackbaud, whose husband was completing his schooling to become a Periodontist, "they're Gum Gardeners," I'd say. Now I was going to have to see one?! Amid my serious (and now embarrassing) crying, my Endodontist said he was going to do everything he could to save my tooth and my "pretty smile." (See AFTER picture).

I think he did a good job. He had to finish extracting the nerve (again, I was/am on Combunox so I wasn't feeling any nerve pain), fill the entire inside of my tooth (I basically have cement inside my tooth), and fill/seal the two holes. I mean, I no longer have any gum on the front of the tooth, but I expected that. My Endodontist said to massage the gum in an upward motion and hopefully my gum cells would be stimulated to heal themselves and grow back. But....I might still have to see a Periodontist if the gum tissue doesn't grow back. I'm giving my body (and my emotions) 4-6 months before I have another breakdown and cry.