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Pain and what looks like a hole in my gum — I’m honestly freaking out, please help 😭

I’m 20 and still have my wisdom teeth. For the past few days I’ve had soreness and pain in the back of my jaw. I assumed it would go away on its own, and since I’m in the middle of finals, I haven’t really had time to deal with it.

I actually had a dentist appointment on Monday and figured that if it was something serious, they would’ve noticed and said something. They didn’t mention anything, and I forgot to bring it up myself. But now it’s still hurting, and I noticed what looks like a small hole or opening in the gum behind my molar.

I’m really scared. Does this mean my wisdom teeth need to come out? What happens if I can’t get them removed right away? If it’s not wisdom teeth related, what else could it be?

Please help 😭

(Edit: I’ve never smoked, vaped, or drank alcohol. I do struggle with depression, but I’m pretty consistent with brushing twice a day and floss when I remember to.)

Need a 2nd opinion on my X-ray. The clinic doctor wasn’t sure what this area could be and has referred me to the general hospital for further checks. Has anyone had something similar before? Should I be worried?

Single-canal mandibular second molar ( #31 / FDI 47) — CBCT confirmed. Another rare one for the collection.

I saw a post here recently about a lower 7 with a single canal, so I thought I’d share a case I ran into this week with the exact same anatomy variant.

Patient was referred for RCT on #31 (FDI 47). The pre-op PA already looked suspicious for a fused/conical root morphology, but I proceeded with access first. After entering the chamber, I could only identify a single or***ce — no MB/ML separation and no distal canal, even under magnification.

At that point, I decided to take a CBCT to rule out a missed canal before continuing treatment. Both the axial and sagittal slices confirmed a single fused root with one large central canal. I couldn’t identify any secondary canal splitting apically or any obvious isthmus formation either.

Always satisfying to confirm these uncommon anatomies with CBCT rather than chasing canals that simply aren’t there.

Composite overhangs 🦷

Are composite overhangs a big issue if floss doesn’t catch on them? For example, on a #5 DO the floss passes through perfectly with a snap and doesn’t shred at all. Would you still redo something like that?

Also, I’ve seen people mention using finishing strips to smooth these out, but I often struggle getting the strips through the contact. How are you guys managing to get them down interproximally?

Overfilling?

Hi everyone! I had a root canal done on my upper right front tooth in 2020, and a crown was placed on it in 2024. Over the past 4 days I’ve started having pain in the tooth. It’s manageable as long as I leave it alone and take Advil, but it’s definitely worrying me.

I booked a dental appointment right away, and they told me there are no signs of infection on the X-ray. However, they mentioned the root canal may be slightly overfilled and that this could be causing the pain. They said it may settle down on its own and they might not need to do anything, but they’re referring me to an endodontist for a specialist opinion.

I’m still feeling anxious about it and was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or can offer any insight based on the X-rays. Thanks so much!

My file snapped during a root canal 😬
After the procedure my dentist showed me the X-ray and explained that a small piece of the file broke off inside the canal, but said the canal was fully cleaned and filled and it shouldn’t cause any issues.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this or if I should be concerned? Would really appreciate a second opinion!