Tooth dilemma!

Gosia

Hi Chameleon

I can really sympathise with what you're going through as I've been through the whole rigmarole myself! I've had some really bad experiences at the dentist to the point where I was in so much pain that I nearly fainted (due to a replaced filling that was sitting on my nerve).

Anyhow to cut a long story short I found out from my NHS dentist that I would need RCT. I was absolutely petrified (as this was the tooth which 4 injections would not numb!) 3 / 4 weeks of antibiotics later the problem was not going away as I had an abscess.

I did some research into sedation and found out that it could be one of the few options for me to get my tooth sorted out. The only problem was the cost, but I had been in so much pain and the idea of having the RCT was causing me weeks of nightmares and stress. In the end I decided to have it done and forked out nearly 700 quid but hey - I never looked back - it was the best thing ever.

But hey if only life was as simple as that. The tooth healed really well, but exactly 12 months later (just before my 2 week holiday to Egypt) the same problem started again with another tooth! Needless to say the NHS dentist was pumping me with antibiotics (which again weren't really helping at all) and I felt so crap and stressed that I nearly cancelled my holiday. It was only4 days before my holiday that I saw some sense and called the private dentist who saw me straightaway. He explained that I needed RCT asap otherwise I would have a nightmare of a holiday. He couldn't schedule the sedation however due to the anesthiatist being unavailable.

In the end he gave me another option - something called Laughing Gas which was far cheaper and it worked a miracle and I had the whole 2 hour treatment done in one go.

So my advice to you is get the tooth sorted under Sedation or Laughing Gas. The money might seem like a lot but it's your health, looks, wellbeing and happiness at the end of the day. Both times after I got my teeth sorted (the RCT) I felt a huge weight lift from my shoulders. So yeah the treatment was expensive but I must say it was worth every penny.

~Chameleon~

Thanks Gosia, it's not that I wouldn't pay if I could afford it, and I've seriously thought about just sticking the cost on a credit card and just get it over and done with but the total cost with interest would be prohibitive, and being on benefits my income is limited.

My only chance of getting this treatment done privately would be if I can manage to secure a new 0% interest card over a minimum of 12mths and hope to pay it off before any interest would be due.

I've had very bad experiences with RCT work in the past, so much so that despite several numbing injections I could feel everything they were doing and the pain was excuciating. I think, due to my intense fear, the adrenalin running through my body prevents the anaesthetic working properly and I've even had an incidence of waking up during treatment even when I was IV sedated.

Gosia

Hi again Chameleon

I really do sympathise with what you're going through - it sounds like this is causing you a lot of stress and worry, which is exactly what I had. Weeks of stress which really affected me in a big way.

Yeah you should definitely look for a 0% credit card, or alternatively put it on a credit card you currently have and then subsequently apply for 0% ones although obviously there's no guarantee you would be given one.

I think you should (for now at least) just focus on getting this tooth sorted. If I were you I would call all the dentists in the area to find out if they do the sedation on NHS. I know that in my case there was just one and there was a long waiting list. I wasn't prepared for this - I was on the verge of a breakdown and nearly got jaw infection.

As regards the adrenalin running through your body - I was the same - I thought I would have a heart attack I was so nervous. After my treatment the dentist told me they needed to wait 10mins for my heartbeat to slow down before they started drilling as I was so nervous.

I don't think it was a case of the sedation not working with you - but merely that the anesthetist wasn't giving you a dosage strong enough. When I had mine done they explained that they would control the dosage to suit the treatment. In the first hour and a half the dosage was so strong I was completely zonked out - I don't remember anything. I just remember looking at the clock which read 11am when it started and then it was like I suddenly blinked and it was 12.30 and the last 30 mins it was just closing the tooth up so they eased off on the dosage.

The second time I had RCT I was still extremely nervous but more willing to try the laughing gas as I didn't really have a choice. But despite the name - laughing gas - it doesn't make you laugh - it kind of semi sedates you and makes you feel floaty and like you really don't care about the treatment you're receiving and obviously that helps with the pain control as it completely relaxes you. The good thing about this gas is that they can also control the dosage - my dentist gave me so much I started to fall asleep.

Anyhow this option saved me a few hundred pounds. Why don't you find out if you can have the RCT done on NHS with the laughing gas - I am assuming that this is available on the NHS.