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

master_ian

I have a bit of a phobia of dental procedures after a bad experience as a child so I hope you're right!!

8th of Dec tho! thats 3 weeks away...

alison999

master_ian wrote: »

I have a bit of a phobia of dental procedures after a bad experience as a child so I hope you're right!!

8th of Dec tho! thats 3 weeks away...

but he only does one day, so it there diary it works out as 3 days - youre getting in on the third day that hes working there since you got referred.. hope that makes sense lol, its early!

hethmar

Toothsmith, can you explain in what way a specialist would have greater skill re root canals please?

~Chameleon~

hethmar wrote: »

Toothsmith, can you explain in what way a specialist would have greater skill re root canals please?

Possibly due to the fact they do so many if they only ever perform RCT's thereby perfecting the techique, plus they will also be more likely to have the best possible dentistry tools to do the job than a GP dentist who might only perform one or two RCT's a week?

No different to any other medical practioner specialising in one field of expertise.

hethmar

So there isnt a particular qualification you should look for? Just wondered as no doubt I shall need more in future

Toothsmith

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Possibly due to the fact they do so many if they only ever perform RCT's thereby perfecting the techique, plus they will also be more likely to have the best possible dentistry tools to do the job than a GP dentist who might only perform one or two RCT's a week?

No different to any other medical practioner specialising in one field of expertise.

Exactly.

Specialist endodontists have some very natty gadgets that just aren't worth getting unless you're doing root fillings all day every day, plus they can spend all day keeping up to date with current techniques and materials for that one thing.

Us mere mortals have to generally keep abreast of as much as we can.

I wouldn't go looking for your own endodontist hethmar there are qualifications such as MSc or diplomas in it, but academic qualifications don't always tell you who's best practically.

Your dentist will have a trusted endodontist who he has used before, and knows the work of. Be guided by his recommendation.

StevieJ

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?

My dentist practise has a specialist, I had one done after an abcess, cost me 640 and took about three hourly appointments. I guess the proof of the pudding was that my normal dentist was in the chair before me having his done. Didn't hurt a bit.

From a search
Like a general dentist, an endodontist must complete dental school which is generally four years long. In addition to dental school, an endodontist must also complete an additional two to three years of advanced training, also called residency. Board certification is also available in this field and is provided by the American Board of Endodontists.

Toothsmith

That would be in America though!

WomBat_3

I had treatment from a specialist recently (or a DIPSY as it turned out to be) to have RCT redone. It cost almost £700 but I've been happy with the results. I've had RCT from a regular dentist before so comparing my experiences:

I was in the chair a lot longer with the specialist and he seemed to work at a more relaxed pace, and took more time with each instrument. It also felt like he changed instruments many more times than the regular dentist did (but I'm not sure if he did or whether it felt like it because I was in the chair for so long and it seemed to drag on). He seemed to take his time and care though and looked quite shattered at the end of the first appointment.

The specialist had some extra tools that the regular dentist didnt, he did most of the work using a microscope and and also used an ultrasonic tool of some sort which when he used it felt like he was trying to tune radio one into my skull! It didnt hurt though. He found a 4th canal which had been missed on the original RCT. When he finished, he took an xray and showed me and said the roots had been filled perfectly.

At the start of this I was baulking at the prospect and reluctant to spend so much money on the specialist and wondering whether I could save some and get the same results with a NHS or regular dentist. After all, MSE is about saving money! But after going through it and seeing the attention to detail he put in, I feel absolutely fine about it now. I actually feel worse about having to spend £200 recently to fix my car!

starprincess

I had root canal surgery 3 years ago. The dentist (NHS) said it was a difficut tooth to treat and spent a total of 5 hours just on the root canal. He did not put the crown on straight away as he wanted "to see how it went". It wasn't until 2 years later when he decided the time was right to put a crown on it.

I paid the extra to have a porcelain crown rather than a gold one (which therefore had to be private). 3 months later I developed an abcess. The dentist said it may be due to poor dental hygiene which I was very shocked by as I have excellent denal hygiene!

He lanced it and prescribed a 3 day course of antibiotics. The abcess came back straight way so I returned to the dentist, who then prescribed another course of antibiotics.

I returned again, this time seeing a different dentist who then referred me to a consultant at the dental hospital. The x-ray there revealed that a piece of surgical equipment had been left in my tooth which had caused the infection. I now have to have the tooth removed!

I am angry because of the all the money I have paid £6-700 in total, not to mention the fact that I am now going to lose my tooth!

The dentist at the hopital said I could re-coup the costs, and should investigate this using a simple google search but I cannot sem to find anyting that deals with NHS dentists.

Also, I do not want a gap, and don't feel that I should have to pay for further treatment. Will I have to pay for further treatment, ie extraction, bridging, implant, etc?

Many Thanks.
Any advice greatly appreciated.