Thank you very much for your responses to my question. The tooth is dead. The second dentist I went to tested it and I didn't feel the nerve, as I did when he froze the other teeth. I just am not in pain anymore and the tooth isn't sensitive to hot or cold. It actually doesn't have any of the normal symptoms that I've ready about for needing a root canal, so I thought I could wait to see if all the infection was truly gone. I guess I will keep the appointment with the endodontist.
the endodntist should check the vitality of the tooth before doing a root canal. if your "infection" (if that's what it was) was from the tooth, then all the antibiotics did was settle it down. it will come back if the tooth has a dead, dying, or infected nerve. If the tooth tests vital, and you have no pain, then i would not get a root canal done at this time. ps your pain may not have been fom an infection--- you may have had post op pain from the injections, trauma to the gum tissue, localized infection in the gum tissue, stress on the musculature from keeping your mouth open etc. it may have been a coincdence that you got better while on the antibiotics. again, ask the endodntist to check the vitaltity of the tooth in question and other teeth in the area for that matter.
If in fact you have a tooth that has a dead nerve then you MUST see the endodontist. While the antibiotics may control the symptoms it will not cure the non vital tooth. The RCT is necessary.