root canal treatment - NHS and private costs & pros and cons

Toothsmith

fridayschild wrote: »

I had a fall a couple of weeks ago and broke two teeth on a paving slab. I had to wait for the swelling to go down before the dentist would look at them but when I went yesterday he just asked me if the one at the front still hurt and when I said yes he said that it would need root canal work and started straight away.

He took an x-ray but didn't even wait for the results.

I tried asking if there were any alternatives but he just said no.

I am not at all happy with this, I wish to heaven that I had just walked out but I didn't.

I'm supposed to go back next Tuesday but I have lost (what little) faith I had in him.

My front tooth is now wobbly which it wasn't before and I don't know what the heck he has done.

I had root canal work on a back tooth years ago and from what another dentist told me its just buying time because you are removing the nerve so in effect the tooth is dead and will have to eventually be extracted.

I feel very upset by this, I really don't want to end up with false teeth at my age.

Is there anyone out there who can suggest anything? Please!

If your tooth has been killed by the impact (and your symptoms alone suggest it has - the x-ray would really be to look for other complications, not to decide if it were dead or not), then your choices are root filling or extraction.

The dentist would have done the first bit of the root filling in order to get you out of pain more quickly.

He has done nothing wrong, other than possibly not explaining things well enough.

You still have the same number of options as you had before he did anything. You can still have the tooth out if you want!

One option he may or may not have discussed would be referring you to a specialist to get the root filling done. This would be a lot more expensive than letting your own dentist do it, but would probably slightly increase the chances of success (For a single rooted front tooth an ordinary G.P. dentist SHOULD be able to get a good result though)

I think your previous dentist was a bit too pessimistic about root filled teeth. Done well, a root filled tooth should be there for a good many years, and give you plenty of time to save up for an implant if you feel it will ultimately fail.

oystercatcher

I think I am going to need root canal treatment. I am really worried though as twice before I've had RCT and ended up in terrible pain and eventually had extractions.

The tooth that is playing up now gave me lots of trouble about three years ago, my NHS dentist suggested I had a gold crown privately. I'm afraid I didn't trust him< after some other bad experiences at that practice) so I wnet to another dentist and had a gold crown (or could be a cap not sure of the difference) privately. It took ages to 'settle in' and I had to keep going back to have bits filed off as it was clashing against the tooth above which is part of a bridge. Anyway eventally I think the gold moulded in and it all settled down. I decided to go back to the NHS dentist for check ups etc as the private dentist seems to charge twice as much and didn't seem that good as it took ages for the crown to settle etc .

Anyway three weeks ago I had a mild toothache in lower jaw which wasn't going. I thought it was a loose filling in the tooth next to the gold one. NHS dentst refilled it (without drilling) and gave me a course of amoxil. He X-rayed and said I might have trouble with the tooth he had filled or the one next to it and if so he would refer me for RCT as he wasn't very good at RCT and it was likely to fail. He said it would be expensive.
Once I went home I had really bad toothache which seemed to get worse over the next few days despite the antibiotics. I was quite busy but eventually got back to the dentist two weeks after the original appointment. So I could ask him to refer me
They had made a mess of recording my appointment so weren't expecting me and couldn't find my notes .... the dentist saw me claimed he couldn't do anything without the notes. Annoyingly the tooth wouldn't hurt when he bashed it with his instruments, the toothache seems to come and go but when it's there I don't know what to do with myself despite taking paracetamol, ibuprofen and codiene .
He gave me some Metronidazole to try, as I left someone found my notes, when I asked if I should wait while he looked at them I was told no it wouldn't make any difference to come back if the antibiotics didn't work.

So now I have finished the antibiotics yesterday , still have toothache but it's reduced. Should I wait a bit longer for it to reduce? Should I risk the NHS dentist and possible referral to private dentist or risk another private dentist who might see me quicker. TBH I don't really want to go back to the one who did the gold crown as that took so long to settle in anyway. Of my previous RCT which failed one was done at private dentists and one at the NHS place but both by other dentists who have now moved on .

I don't want to pay a fortune for RCT and then find the tooth needs extracting anyway, particularly when I spent around £400 on the gold crown already.

Oystercatcher

fridayschild_2

Toothsmith wrote: »

If your tooth has been killed by the impact (and your symptoms alone suggest it has - the x-ray would really be to look for other complications, not to decide if it were dead or not), then your choices are root filling or extraction.

The dentist would have done the first bit of the root filling in order to get you out of pain more quickly.

He has done nothing wrong, other than possibly not explaining things well enough.

You still have the same number of options as you had before he did anything. You can still have the tooth out if you want!

One option he may or may not have discussed would be referring you to a specialist to get the root filling done. This would be a lot more expensive than letting your own dentist do it, but would probably slightly increase the chances of success (For a single rooted front tooth an ordinary G.P. dentist SHOULD be able to get a good result though)

I think your previous dentist was a bit too pessimistic about root filled teeth. Done well, a root filled tooth should be there for a good many years, and give you plenty of time to save up for an implant if you feel it will ultimately fail.

Thanks toothsmith, much appreciated. :T

He doesn't seem to have any people skills at all and I guess I'm used to having things explained to me before people jump in and start work. I have had an unfortunate amount of dealings with hospitals and I always insist on knowing what is happening but I don't really think that's unreasonable. It is my body after all.

I have now booked to see a private dentist the day before my appointment with my usual bloke. Its quite expensive, £60 for a consultation, but I think I will feel a lot happier about everything when I have a second opinion. Look out for me busking for food money in the meantime

Bf109

Went to the hygenist today. Have to say I'm a bit unhappy.

Its quite obvious that not all of the scale has been removed - I can still see the old stained bits on my teeth. The whole thing did not feel methodical, more like a bunch of romanian builders sent in with jack-hammers to do what they could before the 30mins was up.

Although I can feel and see that a lot of scale has been removed, the inside of my teeth feel rough and sharp and a lot of old stains are still there. The polish felt cursory and hurried.

Not a happy bunny, specially as I'm a private payer and its costing me full-whack.

Considering making a complaint, even changing denstist before I have my crown done. Dont want that level of service again!

master_ian

Hi all,

New to this thread...have decided to go for private treatment for a root canal procedure in central London.

For my right upper 1st molar, I was quoted:
£650 + £125 for tooth coloured filling - to be done by a specialist recommended by my dentist.

However, a bit dissapointed with the waiting time... They offerred me next Monday, which I can't do as I'll be away for a long weekend, so when I asked when the next available date was - they offerred 8th Dec!
Apparently the specialist only comes in every Monday.

Is this normal waiting time for private treatment?

alison999

master_ian wrote: »

Hi all,

New to this thread...have decided to go for private treatment for a root canal procedure in central London.

For my right upper 1st molar, I was quoted:
£650 + £125 for tooth coloured filling - to be done by a specialist recommended by my dentist.

However, a bit dissapointed with the waiting time... They offerred me next Monday, which I can't do as I'll be away for a long weekend, so when I asked when the next available date was - they offerred 8th Dec!
Apparently the specialist only comes in every Monday.

Is this normal waiting time for private treatment?

i dont think theres any such thing as normal. to be fair they offered you once this monday, not their fault you cant make it. to say he only works one day a week and probably has very long appointments id say there seems to be a short waiting list.

hethmar

Do you mean your private dentist has referred you to the specialist? What is he doing that your dentist couldnt do?

master_ian

Hethmar- I asked him this.
He said all root canal treatments at this particular clinic are referred to the specialist, I presume the endodontist. The specialist only treats on Mondays.

I 've only seen them for the first time last week - through recommendations from friends who say they are excellent. Apparently they're busy - and so the dentist who saw me carries out consultations/xrays/cleaning , and other treatments and cosmetic work , but root canal work is done by the specialist.

Anyone else have this experience?

hethmar

I expect a lot of places are like that Ian, you need one of the resident dentists to answer you and comment on the prices. May be one will be along later.

I didnt know, my chap does just about all treatments I think - he did my root canals, cosmetic work (and an apicectomy- without me actually knowing til after). May be he is multi skilled

Im sure you will get good results - certainly I am more than happy I went privately - only wish Id been able to do it when I was younger, would have saved me a lot of grief and a lot of teeth.

Re the waiting time - well an NHS dentist would probably quote a couple of months or more - be pleased that it is as quick as a few weeks and that the guy must be good to be so busy in a private practice

Toothsmith

master_ian wrote: »

Hethmar- I asked him this.
He said all root canal treatments at this particular clinic are referred to the specialist, I presume the endodontist. The specialist only treats on Mondays.

I 've only seen them for the first time last week - through recommendations from friends who say they are excellent. Apparently they're busy - and so the dentist who saw me carries out consultations/xrays/cleaning , and other treatments and cosmetic work , but root canal work is done by the specialist.

Anyone else have this experience?

This sounds very sensible to me. I think you have a good place here.

It's expensive, but then very good dentistry is.

You could get cheaper if you went for a more general dentist who had a go at everything (A bit like me!)

But I couldn't pretend that my results would be anything like a good as this sort of approach.

You pays yer money..........