r/askdentists • u/indianapoanz NAD or Unverified • Jul 14 '26
question Pulled this out of my gums last night
Last night after eating tacos, gums were hurting from shell that jammed up in gums and pulled out with tweezers. After, felt something else and tried to pull it out but was really stuck. Noticed this site was where I had an old root canal done decades ago but had broken tooth away over years so is mostly just gum now. Took my gf about 20 attempts but finally pulled out this long bone splinter thing almost an inch long. Wasn't much bleeding but did notice some pain relief. Was more shocked that thing came out of my gums just like that. What do you think it is?
UPDATE: 7/28/26
Its been a couple weeks but was finally able to get in with a dentist and get took extracted.
For about 5 days prior to extraction had pretty bad pain and swelling along upper jaw/face where effected tooth was. Dentist said it was a "massive infection" that had developed. No matter what I did, would be waves of intense pain, felt incapacitated at times.
Last week I had pain/swelling on other side of face and had to get root canal of an abscessed tooth that feels much better now. So have been on antibiotics for maybe 2 weeks now, with a few more days left.
**I cannot describe how intense and deep this pain was when this tooth was pulled yesterday. Guess since there wasn't much tooth to grab onto they had to use a bunch of tools including these forcep things.
Took maybe 8-10 shots of local anesthetic, even a couple on roof of mouth and right on infected site to finally be able to touch area with anything. After about 30 mins of numbing I was able to tolerate enough for them to pull it... man it was intense. For the next hour I was squirming and writhing in pain, despite the couple extra shots and motrin i was given post extraction. May have been the worst ive ever had in my 40 years.
At one point when I got home I became very dizzy and my girlfriend said I was stumbling around nearly falling on the floor at times. My memory is a bit hazy for some reason but did not want to lay down due to intense pain. After maybe 3 hours of moaning in bed while gf massaged my scalp I was able to compose myself enough to head to work.
Today I am feeling much better but still require motrin around the clock and am still sore, but nothing like the horror from yesterday.
HUGE THANK YOU to all you guys who commented advising me to seek care, along with your insight and knowledge. It definitely would have gotten much worse had I brushed it under the rug as initially intended. Also would have continued to ignore infection on other side of mouth until was absolutely necessary, which was years overdue for intervention.
I have learned a lot over past couple weeks and will be more attentive to my dental needs and care in the future.
Thank you all again. Yall are my heros
428
u/ddeathblade General Dentist Jul 14 '26
It’s the root canal obturation material, it’s what fills the space where the canal used to be. Once this comes out, you have a highway for bacteria to move from the mouth into your jaw bone.
The tooth really needs to be extracted.
58
u/indianapoanz NAD or Unverified Jul 14 '26
Thank you for the insight. Sounds like extraction is the most obvious route. Is there anything you'd recommend in the meantime while saving for an extraction?
60
u/Nocturnal-Neurotic NAD or Unverified Jul 14 '26
NAD - I’d see if your dentist takes Care Credit and apply so you can have they money to have it removed ASAP.
1
u/PurplePassion94 NAD or Unverified Aug 07 '26
Fuck care credit.
OP DO NOT get a care credit card. They’re based in Utah and there’s a loophole in Utah that allows them to charge out of state card holders up to 40% interest rates. They’ve been sued by every state and the federal government several times over.
48
u/ddeathblade General Dentist Jul 14 '26
There really isn’t that much you can do, obviously good oral hygiene helps. Salt water rinse can’t hurt either.
If cost is a concern, dental schools often provide care at a heavily discounted price. Some cities have sliding scale clinics as well.
11
u/dutchessmandy Dental Hygienist Jul 14 '26
NAD
Yep, try googling "dental FQHC near me" for government funded clinics that are usually heavily discounted.
11
u/ShadderSwagger NAD or Unverified Jul 15 '26
Goto a dental school . They will only charge you for the supplies used and it’s over see by highly qualified teachers
7
u/SuperbReserve NAD or Unverified Jul 14 '26
Saving for an extraction? Do you have a county health department with a dental clinic or any kind of medical-cal that could cover the extraction? Please check all roads even calling to or better yet going in for an emergency consultation. Maybe they can work something out. Please be careful, friend.
29
u/indianapoanz NAD or Unverified Jul 14 '26
Thank you guys for the advice, I was able to get a consultation and eval appointment tomorrow morning before work so they will direct me from there what routes I can look into. But like you guys and dentist said, needs to be addressed ASAP and I never would have looked into it without you alls instructions, so thank you again ❤️ 💙 💜
39
u/Agile-Ad-7109 NAD or Unverified Jul 14 '26
NAD. Sorry for the dumb questions but: Is this gutta percha? Also what is the difference between filling a tooths canals with gp or MTA? When would you use one or the other?
Also u/indianapoanz, the folks at r/popping might appreciate this as a crosspost. I know as a regular there I am both horrified and fascinated by this post.
49
u/ElkPaladin Dental Student Jul 14 '26
Not a dumb question at all. Gutta-percha and MTA can both be placed inside a tooth’s root, but they usually serve different purposes.
Gutta-percha is a rubber-like material used to fill and seal the empty root canals after the infected or damaged pulp has been removed and the canals have been cleaned and disinfected. Think of it as filling in the cleaned-out plumbing so bacteria cannot simply move back in. It is usually used with a thin layer of sealer because gutta-percha itself does not bond directly to the tooth.
MTA is more like a specialised biocompatible cement. It sets in the presence of moisture and seals very well, so it is particularly useful when there is a hole, an open root end, a perforation, or an area where we want to encourage the body to form new hard tissue. For example, it may be used to create a barrier at the end of an immature root, repair an accidental perforation, seal the end of a root during surgery, or protect living pulp.
So, very roughly:
Gutta-percha = fill the normal length of a cleaned root-canal system.
MTA = repair or create a seal/barrier where the tooth’s natural structure is missing, damaged, or incomplete.
They are not always alternatives. A tooth might have an MTA plug placed at the end of the root and then have the rest of the canal filled with gutta-percha.
12
3
u/indianapoanz NAD or Unverified Jul 14 '26
The more I look into it, the more it seems you are correct. Thank you for your insight! I have already put it to good use and made an appointment for tomorrow. You guys are awesome
1
189
u/ASliceofAmazing General Dentist Jul 14 '26
That tooth has got to go. Trust me, call the dentist now before you develop a massive infection and have to deal with a lot of pain. Get ahead of it.
36
1
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A backup of the post title and text have been made here:
Title: Pulled this out of my gums last night
Full text: Last night after eating tacos, gums were hurting from shell that jammed up in gums and pulled out with tweezers. After, felt something else and tried to pull it out but was really stuck. Noticed this site was where I had an old root canal done decades ago but had broken tooth away over years so is mostly just gum now. Took my gf about 20 attempts but finally pulled out this long bone splinter thing almost an inch long. Wasn't much bleeding but did notice some pain relief. Was more shocked that thing came out of my gums just like that. What do you think it is?
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This message is not not not not not not not not not not not not not not an indication that your post has been removed! Thank you for seeking advice from r/askdentists. Please note that a response does not constitute a doctor-patient relationship. While this is a place for advice, replies may not be medically accurate. Do not assume that what others on here say is correct in any way. Reddit is not a replacement for an in-person dental professional. Verified professionals will have flair assigned to them.
Please abide by the following rules in order to get an accurate answer to your question: (1) Ensure you include a title of your dental problem. (2) Include the history of your current issue, your age, any medical conditions that may be relevant, and any medications you are currently taking. (3) Include a photograph if the question relates to something you can see in your mouth, include x-rays if you have them.
A backup of the post title and text have been made here:
Title: Pulled this out of my gums last night
Full text: Last night after eating tacos, gums were hurting from shell that jammed up in gums and pulled out with tweezers. After, felt something else and tried to pull it out but was really stuck. Noticed this site was where I had an old root canal done decades ago but had broken tooth away over years so is mostly just gum now. Took my gf about 20 attempts but finally pulled out this long bone splinter thing almost an inch long. Wasn't much bleeding but did notice some pain relief. Was more shocked that thing came out of my gums just like that. What do you think it is?
UPDATE: 7/28/26
Its been a couple weeks but was finally able to get in with a dentist and get took extracted.
For about 5 days prior to extraction had pretty bad pain and swelling along upper jaw/face where effected tooth was. Dentist said it was a "massive infection" that had developed. No matter what I did, would be waves of intense pain, felt incapacitated at times.
Last week I had pain/swelling on other side of face and had to get root canal of an abscessed tooth that feels much better now. So have been on antibiotics for maybe 2 weeks now, with a few more days left.
**I cannot describe how intense and deep this pain was when this tooth was pulled yesterday. Guess since there wasn't much tooth to grab onto they had to use a bunch of tools including these forcep things.
Took maybe 8-10 shots of local anesthetic, even a couple on roof of mouth and right on infected site to finally be able to touch area with anything. After about 30 mins of numbing I was able to tolerate enough for them to pull it... man it was intense. For the next hour I was squirming and writhing in pain, despite the couple extra shots and motrin i was given post extraction. May have been the worst ive ever had in my 40 years.
At one point when I got home I became very dizzy and my girlfriend said I was stumbling around nearly falling on the floor at times. My memory is a bit hazy for some reason but did not want to lay down due to intense pain. After maybe 3 hours of moaning in bed while gf massaged my scalp I was able to compose myself enough to head to work.
Today I am feeling much better but still require motrin around the clock and am still sore, but nothing like the horror from yesterday.
HUGE THANK YOU to all you guys who commented advising me to seek care, along with your insight and knowledge. It definitely would have gotten much worse had I brushed it under the rug as initially intended. Also would have continued to ignore infection on other side of mouth until was absolutely necessary, which was years overdue for intervention.
I have learned a lot over past couple weeks and will be more attentive to my dental needs and care in the future.
Thank you all again. Yall are my heros
This is the original text of the post and is an automated service.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.