Have had now two root canals on second molar on bottom right side. Second one seemed to be the fix for about 6 months. Now it is infected again (assumption) and antibiotics are not really working. Currently on Clindamycin (300mg x 4 daily). Would switching to another med be advised or just get it pulled? Im thinking the root is cracked.

My dentist is out of the office until the second of January. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Meds won't fix it.

If your root is cracked it will need to be pulled.

I would go see an endodontist and get their opinion on it before pulling it. I have seen cases where a general dentist did a root canal and it failed and a good specialist retreated and it was fine for years after that. With that being said, even if the endodontist recommends retreating the tooth they will tell you there is still a chance it doesn't work. The overall success rate of endodontic retreatment is something like 80% according to google.

Thanks! Both root canals were done by an endodontist.

Without seeing you or a radiograph, it's all speculative. Root fracture is certainly a reason for failure/reinfection, but there could be an infection of the gums unrelated to the root canal, or an adjacent tooth is actually the problem.

If you feel it's the same tooth and related to the root canal, go see the treating endodontist again. Believe me, they don't like to see failed treatment and will do their best to figure it out. And an honest one won't treat a tooth that has a high probability of failure.

Oral surgeons, and many endodontists use CBCT (a dental Cat Scan), this can be a huge help in diagnosis, and helps avoid expensive treatment on a hopeless tooth.
Good luck!

Agree with others. If cracked down to root, the tooth is not salvageable (according to the dentist that pulled one of mine). And continually throwing antibiotics at it, especially clindamycin, is a recipe for disaster. 1) You're not fixing the problem. And 2) Clindamycin is one of the highest risk antibiotics to cause C Diff infection (explosive diarrhea with colitis that's difficult to treat)