Pressure on Nerves....

[Phil88]

I've recently notice a lump located on the lower right side of the gums, at the base of my second to the end molar which has a crown on it. The lump is on the outer rim, not the interior where the tongue is. There were days I've waken up and there's been a SHARP pain because I've been sleeping on the side of my face on the pillow. The pain affects the whole tooth from top to the base where the lump is. When I lightly push on the lump, it feels like I'm pushing directly on the nerve. The lump could have been there all along but not sure.

I went to dentist and he gave me a z-pack, I'm on day 4 of 5 and it seems to have gotten better, the pain isn't as cruical, but when I make facial expressions and my cheek rubs on the lump, I still feel some nerves or pains. My dentist took 3 x-rays and he found what he thought was a Manibular Fren..(wrong spelling, but essentially he said it was an airway where nerves came through.  The x-ray showed no decay of the crown or any surrounding areas, and thus he didn't think a root canal was needed. He felt the lump and said it was part of the bone, I told him the other side doens't have it, he said it does just not as pronounced.  He said worst case would be a root canal but it's nothing like mouth cancer or anything like that...I don't smoke or chew tobacco, I don't even drink for heaven sakes...

He suggested to finish the z-pack antibotics and if the pain comes back in a month or so, than we'll go the root canal route, which is fine, but I'm concerned what if it's the lump that's pressing on the nerves. If the crown and all surrounding and underneath areas are clean with no air openings or decay, what's causing the nerves to hurt?

But if it was something more than bone, wouldn't the x-ray show it...I saw the whole tooth and than some of the gum but it didn't show anything I don't think....

Help....

[scottma]

Seeing an oral pathologist or oral surgeon is advised.