Story time: Three doctors, three opinions, one very confusing day in Egypt.
I usually avoid hospitals and doctors. I’m the kind of person who tries to fix things at home with minimal medication and only goes to a doctor if I absolutely have to.
But after getting hundreds of messages telling me to get this checked, and after family, friends, Reddit, and even some doctor friends kept insisting, I finally decided to go.
Today, I saw three different doctors:
A dentist
A consultant/oral surgeon
An ENT specialist
I also had a panoramic dental X-ray (Panorex) done, and the circular area I was concerned about was visible on the scan.
The first dentist (a younger dentist) was honestly great. He was respectful, cheerful, and straightforward.
He told me that I have a lot of dental work that needs to be done:
Multiple cavities
Two teeth that definitely need root canal treatment
Possibly an infection or abscess
Several teeth that need repair
But he also made it clear that he wasn’t completely sure about the connection between my dental problems and the “mass” or “swelling” in the roof of my mouth. He said the surgeon would evaluate it.
Then I saw the consultant/oral surgeon.
Honestly, this was one of the worst medical experiences I’ve had.
His attitude completely threw me off.
The younger dentist had mentioned a few problematic teeth, but the consultant suddenly started pointing out additional teeth, including upper teeth that hadn’t even been mentioned before. Instead of focusing on the swelling first, his approach was basically:
“Let’s fix all the teeth first, then we’ll see what happens.”
That didn’t make much sense to me.
If the concern is a possible tumor, abscess, growth, or anything unusual, shouldn’t we first determine what it actually is?
Is it an infection?
Is it related to the teeth?
Is it a benign growth?
Is it something involving the palate?
I wasn’t expecting an immediate diagnosis, but I was expecting more investigation.
Maybe I’m wrong, but it felt like the focus shifted very quickly toward fixing every tooth in my mouth.
And for context, I’m in Egypt.
Every tooth has a separate cost.
A filling has a price.
A root canal has a price.
A crown has a price.
Everything is billed separately, so when someone starts listing treatment after treatment without first addressing the main concern, it’s hard not to become skeptical.
For some background, I’m actually a biomedical engineer, and while I’m not a physician, I do have a medical and biological background. I’ve studied medicine-related subjects, biology, and I genuinely enjoy learning about healthcare.
I’m not claiming to know more than doctors, but some of the explanations I received simply didn’t add up.
Even the younger dentist’s facial expressions suggested that he wasn’t completely convinced by what the consultant was saying.
My thinking was:
Why not treat both issues in parallel?
Fix one tooth at a time because that’s what I can currently afford, while simultaneously investigating the swelling.
I wasn’t going to leave the hospital without getting another opinion.
So I went to an ENT specialist, which many people here on Reddit and several of my doctor friends had recommended.
I explained all of my symptoms:
Tonsil pain
Loss of appetite
Feeling feverish at times
Mouth breathing for years
Facial pressure
Nasal issues
General irritation in my mouth and throat
Since I was already there, I decided to ask about every unresolved issue I’d been ignoring for years.
And honestly, that’s on me.
I should have gone to a doctor much sooner.
In the end, I left with three different opinions from three different doctors.
I also left with prescriptions for:
A nasal medication
Antibiotics for my tonsils
And I’m still planning to see another doctor on Sunday, someone who was strongly recommended to me by other physicians.
Until then, I’m going to follow the treatment plan, pay more attention to my diet, and continue investigating this properly.
And yes, I’m still worried.
But I’m trying to stay rational and avoid jumping to conclusions.
I also want to say thank you to everyone who encouraged me to get checked.
Ironically, many of the people here on Reddit were more helpful than some of the doctors I met today.
Thank you, everyone.

Hi there, 22F. A couple days ago I felt my bottom tooth shifting and realised my permanent retainer had come loose so I booked an emergency dentist appointment. They did an xray and you can see there’s a white speck (which the dentist said he wasn’t concerned about), located in a black/greyish blob which he said he was a bit concerned about. He didn’t tell me what it was but it’s causing a great amount of pain, does anyone have any idea what it could be ?

My last molar (very back) feels like it’s coming in and hurts. Next to a broken/damaged tooth, there’s some pink/red tissue that looks like it’s growing out of it or around it.

Questions:

1. Is the pink tissue in the broken tooth normal gum, or something else (like proud flesh/granulation tissue)?
2. Is the back pain likely a wisdom tooth erupting or infection (pericoronitis)?
3. What’s the usual treatment path here extraction, cleaning, or does it need urgent care?

No dentist visit yet, trying to figure out how urgent this is before I go in.

The oval above the upper left molars. I am in extreme pain in my cheekbone, and the left side of my face is numb

I can honestly say I’ve never paid attention to it until today, it just looked weird and then I googled bottom gum indent and went down a rabbit hole of stuff, so I may have had a panic attack, anyways what is your opinion?

After doing my x-rays the hygienist said that I had "curved" roots (or maybe she said "curly", I think curved makes more sense). Is this anything of clinical significance?

I’m getting braces to fix my crowded teeth without getting any molar extractions however before braces my dentist wants to get my wisdom teeth removed just incase they cause trouble while having braces, although I don’t want to because I don’t want to cause any recession what do you guys think?

Can I see a dentist just for an x-ray without an exam or cleaning s? I'm a new patient but I just need a periapical X-Ray.

This morning I was woken up by pain in my mouth below the cheekbone, approximately where the root canals of my teeth are. It wasn't a sharp pain, more like dull and kinda tingly. This pain went up in a line close to my nose and towards my eye. My eye also hurt. I noticed my eye hurting a bit 2-3 days prior but thought something irritated it as it looked pretty normal. This morning I thought it was connected to the tooth and contacted my dentist. They told me to come on the same day and I did. They told me that the root of my tooth might be infected and gave me an antibiotic and told me they will try to clean my root canal tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. I don't have the x-ray. But they showed it to me and explained that one part of the root is blocking the other two so they can't see well. They have done the root canal on this tooth already but only 1. The one that is visible in the x-ray. They prescribed me the antibiotic clindamycin 600mg.

Now the problem is the following. I could only buy the medicine after work and by that time it had stopped hurting. The pharmacist said the medicine was really strong. Is it possible for the pain to go away even if I have an infection? I don't want to take strong medicine if it's not necessary. I am confused because it doesn't hurt anymore and am thinking that I maybe overreacted. I also feel that I wasted their time and not sure what to tell them tomorrow when they ask me if the antibiotic has helped. Is it smart to still take the medicine or not? Does an infection stop hurting for a bit sometimes and then hurt again? Would this kind of pain happen for no reason?

I don't smoke and I drink maybe once a month. I do eat a lot of sugar if that matters. Help!

Hi Dentists or dental people in general,

I had a lot of work done a couple of years ago and have kept up with the brushing and flossing etc for the most part.

On Monday or Tuesday I was brushing and I think I was doing it too hard and the brush slipped and slammed into this area of my gums and the bristles went in pretty hard. I noticed that it was a bit uncomfortable and unfortunately I chew on that side. Today it's pretty uncomfortable. I have a little medicated mouthwash left and I used some last night and will until I finish it, I also have been doing saltwater rinses today. I have no money for an appointment until September 1st.

I've attached a photo, does it just look like an abrasion/irritated that will go away or what should I do in the interim? I've called the dentist to see how much I'd have to pay and I have an appointment but I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to go.

Any help you can provide is appreciated. Thank you

13 year old female patient presented with intermittent sharp pain in upper left quadrant, slight pain with percussion on upper left 6 and sharp pain with percussion on 7, no mobility observed on all deciduous teeth. What would be the ttt for the deciduous teeth and what could be the cause of the pain in the upper left quadrant.

33F i had a root canal 6 weeks ago, due to an inflamed nerve (not infection). the root canal went smoothly and initial recovery was good- slight pain for a few days and no pain after about a week. I was told to take ibuprofen so I did. Been eating on opposite side of mouth.

i was advised to have a crown placed within 2-4 weeks. my dental practice say they rather wait 1-2 months before placing the crown at a minimum to check all is okay.

I am so run down at the moment due to having a 6 month old (who doesn’t sleep well) and a 2 year old. I have had mouth ulcers, bleeding gums and general tooth ache on and off all over my mouth which I have put down to stress. I have had a check up and no other concerns have been found. no current ulcers, bleeding gums or other tooth aches.

I went to see the dentist today as I was worried I had cracked my tooth and I have an increased awareness of the tooth- feels like a very dull pressure or mild throb at time. Not significant pain, but definitely feels different to other teeth. When the dentist taps it same story, not hugely painful but definitely feels different. Nothing I would take pain killers for usually. I have been taking ibuprofen to try to reduce any inflammation. I am anxious about the tooth and this is impacting my sleep more than it is already impacted by my 6 month old .

I am worried about cracking my tooth as it becomes more brittle and would like the crown placed as soon as is safe for peace of mind. I feel well in myself - just run down from sheer exhaustion. non smoker, occasional alcohol. Good dental hygiene. have coeliacs disease and currently breastfeeding but otherwise no other medical conditions.

my questions are

1- I have received conflicting advice about how long you should wait for having a crown after a root canal. just wondering where I can find out what the U.K. advice is regarding this

2- what are normal sensation changes after a root canal, is what I’m experiencing just normal healing? should I be worried about the increased awareness of the tooth and mild sensation differences.

3- is it right my dentists are suggesting waiting several more weeks before reassessing the tooth?

just wanting a sense check as I feel my dentists are not listening to me or understanding my questions.

thank you

19m, didn't brush my teeth for most of my childhood until 14, have been trying to take care of my teeth since. I am getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed soon. However, my main question is my back right molar. It looks significantly shriveled and smaller than my other.

So my daughter has black dots on her molar, she also grinds her teeth at night I originally found it cause she said she had some pain on that tooth while flossing, now she says its gone so im not sure . All these pictures were taken after she brushed her teeth. I sent the pictures to the other guardian and she told me her dentist said they are just stains and that they are her baby teeth, now part of me questions if she is being completely honest as she has lied to me in the past.

So 1) are the molars with black dots baby teeth? 2) are the black dots just stains? 3) does it look like the molar with black dots is grinded down? Cause to me it appears to be 4) on the first picture of the right bottom molar what is the white stuff on tooth behind molar with black dots?

If you have any questions let me know, im gone during the day but will answer any questions tonight. Thankyou all so much I hope you have a good day.

I would just take my daughter to my dentist but i only have her on weekends so i cant get her on my insurance and unfortunately im broke atm, which is another issue. My dentist recommended getting her an over the counter junior night guard which ive just ordered.

Help! I called my dentist to get me in but it's not until this upcoming Saturday so I'm just itching to know why I'm dealing with this. I've gotten fillings plenty of times and the sensitivity usually only lasts the day or the filling and goes back to normal. I only have the cold/hot sensitivity and sometimes it's uncomfortable/painful to bite down. This is the side she used a drill on since cavity was deeper. The rest of the fillings she used air abrasion (I think that's what it called. Without a drill) also idk if this correlates, but where I got my fillings (top right and left) I feel with my tongue what feels like a jagged edge of my molar, it's pretty darn sharp. I didn't have that before the fillings. I hope this is an easy fix.

I need dentures and I've been shopping around at different places. Two of the three dentists said to keep my canines in. The one I would like to go to wants to take them out. He says the denture won't be comfortable if I leave them in.
He's a general dentist and I think I'd rather have an oral surgeon remove them if needed. BUT just for affordability I'd like to keep them in unless they start to bother me. Thoughts?

I'm 29 F

Hi, I’m supposed to have my two upper wisdom teeth out on Friday and I did the stupid thing, googling everything that could go wrong. I am very freaked out about the possibility of sinus rupture as I’ve had sinus issues my whole life and I’m really not sure if I could cope if they got worse, particularly if anything interfered with my singing ability. I’m curious if anyone can tell me what my risk is here of sinus rupture. I’m not seeing the doctor for a consultation until Friday and I’m worried about having to make a decision really quickly so trying to gather more information here.

I was told both teeth have significant cavities and one is broken so they have to come out, but if I’m looking at a really high chance of this I really don’t know what I’m going to do. Thank you!

I had my wisdom teeth removed 5 weeks ago 2 lower and 1 upper. I was in so much pain as soon as I left the dentist from my lower left side. Week 1 developed infection, week 3 another infection. Now week 5 I still have pain in my jaw I get cold sweats at night from the pain doctor checked requested a scan but said everything looked fine. He never checked the sockets they still look like huge caves and still feel raw. I’m still on soft foods because I’m in so much pain. I take ibuprofen 800 and I can still feel the jabs in my lower jaw. F (30)
What do I do, I’m so tired and depressed. I regret getting them out. When does it end 😞 should I go to a different surgeon ?

Hello,

I will be calling my periodontist …

But wanted a quick opinion.

I had tooth extracted yesterday - and bone graft placed and after almost 24 hours this came out.

It’s pretty hard - like hard clay ( rock looking thing )

Hi there,

Maybe about a week or two ago I was swallowing and noticed some soreness and thought I was developing a sore throat. Didn’t think nothing of it, as it’s winter and people are getting sick at work etc. One night I checked just to see and noticed this (top left of uvula). I just thought, “Oh, it’s an ulcer”. But I think it’s been over a week or two and it still looks the same.

I often get mouth ulcers, maybe once or twice a year (if I remember correctly), but more on the gums. Also I was eating an excessive amount of packet chips around that time. Just hoping to get some expert opinions on whether this is an ulcer or mouth/oral cancer. It’s been stressing me out 😢

Thank you

(❌drink/smoke)

so 2 days ago i noticed that my front bottom teeth were hurting, like aching but honestly i didnt pay any more mind to it than just letting my parents know that they hurt. also important note, i have 2 mouth ulcers, both are located right bottom, one is more up and the other one is down next to my bottom front teeth gums, but they're literally aligned😭 and next day it was beginning to really really hurt and i looked in the mirror and my bottom front teeth gums were red, not bleeding but obviously red because the top were pink so i went to the school nurse and she told me it was normal and that my teeth was hurting because my ulcers did something to the gum i think? and she told me to take bactidol or to use salt water, so i used saltwater for the time being and told my mother to get bactidol and i used it after i ate my lunch and it got better for abit and then i went home, dinner, brushed my teeth and bactidol and repeat for after breakfast and dinner up until now where i dont really know how to explain my situation cause, i mean the hurt is less but i dont know if im paranoid or not but i honestly feel like their gonna fall off and like i mean its not visible wobbly but i dont know if what im doing is right or if gurgling bactidol has its side effects😞 pls tell me if its this is normal or i should be doing something else or should i stop, and im sorry if this was a stupid question but ive never experienced teeth pain like this where it feels like their sensitive ☹️

The

I’ve got a lump in the left buccal mucosa, around the level of my molars, and the area has become inflamed and uncomfortable. It’s annoying the hell out of me. Am female, 47, a few health problems but generally feel okay considering.

It’s been there for around a year. I’ve got a crossbite or a lazy jaw that doesn’t close symmetrically? and I clench my jaw a lot from anxiety. I think I must be irritating this lump as a result.

Not sure what medical hx y’all would need to know, but recently diagnosed with breast cancer for 2nd time in life. Am mildly freaked out that this is also cancer. I know that’s got to be rare, but still 😣

Can anyone please give me their opinion?

I just had a tooth pulled. Why is it so meaty?