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Is Toothsmith around for advice?

fitzroy
Posts: 334 Forumite


Would appreciate advice from Toothsmith or one of the other dentists on this site. Had root filling done by private dentist 3 years ago on lower right small molar; crown on top and white filling. 3 months after completion I started to feel it "twinge" now and again; returned to dentist who said there were 3 possibilities:
1. There's an infection in which case it will get worse.
2. It's due to nerve ligaments either side for e.g. when eating.
3. There's a small crack.
If it was due to 2 or 3 then nothing could be done. The twinges didn't get worse (but nor did they go away) so I assumed it was no. 2 or 3 and lived with it. The twinges are irritating rather than painful but whereas before they would come and go now they are almost ever present.
Fast forward to this year when same dentist referred me to another practice to be assessed for 2 implants in another area of mouth. They did a scan and in the written report mentioned that tooth 44 (root filled tooth) has a deficient filling and possibly a slight periapical infection which should be investigated further.
Copy of the report was sent to my dentist who took a digital x-ray of said tooth to get a better look. Dentist spoke to other practice and told me that they both agreed the deficient filling was within acceptable limits of ?mm (sorry can't remember the exact figure) and that it's not always possible to fill right down to the root; the digital x-ray showed no sign of infection.
I don't know if it's relevant but the tooth has a coffee and cream colour to it i.e. the bottom half coffee, the crown cream coloured which seems to be more prevalent now than before; also on the surface of the white filling black marks have started to appear.
I seem to have two different opinions on it. I haven't been back to the practice who did the report to see if they have changed their mind about what was seen on the scan or their interpretation of what they saw.
Any advice would be appreciated.
1. There's an infection in which case it will get worse.
2. It's due to nerve ligaments either side for e.g. when eating.
3. There's a small crack.
If it was due to 2 or 3 then nothing could be done. The twinges didn't get worse (but nor did they go away) so I assumed it was no. 2 or 3 and lived with it. The twinges are irritating rather than painful but whereas before they would come and go now they are almost ever present.
Fast forward to this year when same dentist referred me to another practice to be assessed for 2 implants in another area of mouth. They did a scan and in the written report mentioned that tooth 44 (root filled tooth) has a deficient filling and possibly a slight periapical infection which should be investigated further.
Copy of the report was sent to my dentist who took a digital x-ray of said tooth to get a better look. Dentist spoke to other practice and told me that they both agreed the deficient filling was within acceptable limits of ?mm (sorry can't remember the exact figure) and that it's not always possible to fill right down to the root; the digital x-ray showed no sign of infection.
I don't know if it's relevant but the tooth has a coffee and cream colour to it i.e. the bottom half coffee, the crown cream coloured which seems to be more prevalent now than before; also on the surface of the white filling black marks have started to appear.
I seem to have two different opinions on it. I haven't been back to the practice who did the report to see if they have changed their mind about what was seen on the scan or their interpretation of what they saw.
Any advice would be appreciated.
fitzroy
0
Comments
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Root filled teeth often look darker than live ones. With the crown on top, that's why you have the 'two tone' appearance.
If it's a premolar that's already been root filled and crowned, then if something is going wrong with it, any attempt to fix it could well be the last straw for that tooth anyway. It would probably be better out and another implant.How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0 -
Can't afford to replace it with an implant (having seen the quote I received for the missing molars I was thinking of having done) so will have to stick with the twinges. Is it common for the filling not to reach down to the bottom of the root? I seem to recall you saying somewhere in one of your posts that if there's a gap then can lead to problems - infection etc. I read so many posts looking for anyone with my problem I might not have got that right.fitzroy0
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It's pretty common for root fillings not to go all the way to the 'apparent' end of the root, but on an x-ray, it's very hard to say if what appears to be the end is the actual place where the pulp comes out of the tooth. It's a 2d image of a 3d thing after all.
If there is a bit of dead nerve left in the tooth, it can cause a problem, but doesn't always, just as an apparently perfect root filling can sometimes fail!How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0 -
Thanks. There was just the last query about the white filling now showing black marks on the surface of the tooth. Does this happen with white fillings as it seems to make a nonsense of having themfitzroy0
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They can stain after a while.How to find a dentist.
1. Get recommendations from friends/family/neighbours/etc.
2. Once you have a short-list, VISIT the practices - dont just phone. Go on the pretext of getting a Practice Leaflet.
3. Assess the helpfulness of the staff and the level of the facilities.
4. Only book initial appointment when you find a place you are happy with.0
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