I had a boil, non painful on my upper gum at the upper right incisor for 4 days. When at the dentist yesterday, it opened and has yellow pus,  he started me on antibiotics and suggested a root canal for that #8 tooth. The XRay of the tooth didnt show anything. He says the drainage & swelling surrounding the tooth are indicative of infection.  Is a root canal my only option?  Wont I also loose the tooth? I have just completed invisalign treatment for that tooth and dont want to loose it. Please advise and thanks.
Hi. Welcome to Chat Doctor . I have gone through your query and can understand your concerns. As per your complaint in case if you have a non-painful boil over the gum that Chat Doctor. . Root canal treatment is advised if there is tooth related infection and not for gum infection. I would therefore suggest you to consult an Endodontist and get evaluated and a thorough clinical evaluation and x-rays from different angulation has to be done to rule out the exact cause and treated accordingly. In case if it is not due to tooth infection and is due to gum infection then Scaling and curettage will be advised. Hope this information helps. Thanks and regards.