Chronic pain associated with a foreign body left under the soft tissue flap during periapical surgery.

A case is reported of a patient who requested treatment for chronic pain of 7 yr duration. After several unsuccessful endodontic procedures, a cotton pellet was discovered under the soft tissue near the apex of the left maxillary cuspid. It was theorized that the cotton was left under the tissue flap during a previous apicoectomy procedure. After the cotton was removed the patient subsequentially reported that the pain was relieved.