Case presentation A 58-year-old woman reported having a "toothache" for the past two years . As self-medication , the patient had been placing a small piece of cotton dipped in over-the-counter "gum pain reliever" next to the aching tooth. The patient had a medical history of asthma , for which she was hospitalized five years earlie r, and uses an inhaler (albuterol sulfate) and a nebulizer daily. She also reported an allergy to morphine.
Dental examination No facial asymmetries or swelling Large diastema , whitish material in the sulcus of tooth 9 distal , and caries through and through under the fixed partial denture on tooth 9 ( Figure 1) . Diagnostic evaluation The patient's tooth 9 was deemed nonvital and nonrestorable. Radiographs revealed subosseous caries on tooth 9 and a radiolucent lesion extending mesially and distally to this tooth, halfway down the root. (Figure 2) CT…
