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

coldstreamalways

blueybug wrote: »

Ive had bad teeth issues for the past 4 yrs all caused by various abscess's. In fact Ive had 14 teeth taken out:eek:. A few weeks ago I had real bad pain in one of my teeth, yet again full blown out abscess appeared and back to square one! nights of non sleep and a face that looked like I was storing nuts for winter!.

I bit the bullet called the nhs help line and got an appointment, the dentist drilled a hole in the tooth (is this normal)yes, it's the gold standard of treatment to remove the dead nerve. What makes you think you didn't receive normal treatment? to allow it to drain...... 2 weeks later Ive another abscess and really sharp pain, the tooth feels like its higher than the rest when I eat (if that makes sence). If the ligament that holds the tooth in is infected and inflamed, the tooth will be slightly pushed out of it's normal position.

My appointment for the root canal is'nt till January 15!

When Ive had these abscess nasties before they just remove the tooth at a local hospital but this time the dentist wont to save it and root canal it.



Now I have a few Q's if someone could answer me

1. This sharp pain I was told is the nerve dying is that true? Dying nerves give lots and lots of different symptoms, only a full history and exam can confirm this.
2. Any help on things I can do to help the pain? Painkillers, including an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen should help.
3. Does this root canal really stop the pain/fix the abscess? How long is a piece of string? It depends on lots and lots of different things including:

How badly infected the tooth/bone around it is.
How much sound tooth/root there is remaining.
How complicated the root anatomy of your tooth is.
How much time your dentist spends doing it.
How well you look after it whilst under treatment.

Lots and lots of factors. if you want it removed, tell your dentist, I certainly wouldn't be upset if one of my patients asked for an extraction instead of RCT. You have ad 14 teeth out already though, I don't know how old you are or which tooth it is but your dentist could have an eye on the future and feel that saving it (or at least trying to) is a better option for your case.

Hope that helps

blueybug

Thanks for the reply, the reason why I asked on the drilling the hole in the tooth was I have only ever had teeth out, never a rct. And I'm 35 yrs of age, always suffered with these abscess's.

dweaver3481

Hi everyone,

Just looking for some helpful advice.

I'm in my late 20s and hadn't been for a dental appointment for about 10 years. Stupid, I know. I always thought I'd looked after my teeth but after my private check up I was told I'd need approx. 8 fillings and some root canal work on one tooth. Privately this comes to £1,000 which I can't afford. Will this count as one treatment on the NHS? Am I likely to find a dentist willing to do it all for one price on the NHS? And if so, how much would it cost?

I'm terrified about all this, and can't believe I've let it get to this stage.
Will it all be done together? Will it hurt?!

Many thanks in advance for any helpful responses.

x

Toothsmith

If you find a dentist willing to do it on the NHS, then (Assuming you live in England or Wales) as there appear to be no crowns or dentures involved, it would cost you the band 2 charge of £42.60.

The dentist will be credited with the grand reward of 3 UDA (Units of dental activity = target points) which has a financial value roughly equal to £75.

So - what do you rate your chances of finding a dentist to do this on the NHS? And if you do - how much time and care do you realistically think could be put into it if the dentist (With running costs in the order of £170 per hour) could put into it?

You may well find the treatment plan is a bit different if you see an NHS dentist.

PurpleJay

Just had my first session of root canal treatment on the NHS. Not at all painful while it was being done although it is sensitive now and was throbbing a bit earlier when the numbness wore off. Am hoping it settles. Came on here to see if this is normal but it appears to be. I have my next appointment on the 18th.

I have seen that 'better materials' are used privately. What is the difference? I have no complaints about my dentist, she seems very careful and thorough. There was some discussion with the trainee that she doesn't have time to use certain tools on teeth with 4 or 5 canals but could do in where there was only 2 (as in my case). It is my first double tooth.

Will let you know how I get on.

PurpleJay

Had my second session a couple of days ago. Dentist didn't freeze my mouth but apart from a few twinges it was fine. There was a bit of bleeding but she said this was because the canals curved round. She seemed a bit concerned but it stopped and she proceeded she didn't rush even though my appointment ran over. I felt no pain when she was poking about at the end. She filled it and afterwards the tooth felt a bit odd, but no paid afterwards at all :j

I have an appointment in 4 months to discuss crowning - is this something which she will be able to do on the NHS? Do you know how much is it likely to cost? Currently I don't pay for NHS treatment because of the tax credits I receive.

wookee_2

Hi , just finished my root canal treatment yesterday and the tooth feels fine and all the swelling from the abscess is gone. My only concern is my dentist only filled two canals as she could not find the third nerve or something on my UL6. Is this normal or should I be worried the infection could come back ? She said she would open it and look again if the abscess came back.

Toothsmith

If you can't find all the roots, the choices the dentist have are

1. Refer the patient to a specialist endodontist to see if they can find and fill the missing root - this would cost the patient £6-700

2. Extract the tooth

3. Do your best with what you can find, and then do 1 or 2 if it flares up afterwards.

Sometimes roots do close up with secondary dentine, and although not ideal, you can get some perfectly good results from teeth where you've not found all the root canals.

On the other hand, the best chance you have of successfully root filling a tooth are on the first attempt. So if you really really want to keep the tooth and don't mind spending £700 on getting it sorted by a specialist - then doing it now would have more chance of success than if the specialist gets to it if the original attempt fails.

Really, your dentist should have outlined all this to you, and it should have been you who made the decision.

wookee_2

Thanks Toothsmith. : )

kiwi_fruit

Hi guys, sorry I didn't read much of the thread and it probabaly was discussed, but here goes.
I had a filling a month ago, dentist said it was "deep" and said she just avoided taking the nerve out(which is RCT isn't it). It hurted like hell to bite on it for a few days after filling, which I thought was normal at the time, then it subsided for month but a few days ago excrutiating(really 10/10) pain started for no reason as such, sort of in waves, which stopped by next morning and then the tooth started aching constantly, basically hurts like mad to even touch it with a finger, let alone bite.

I made an appointment but don't know what to expect money wise especially. I believe RCT will cost 2nd band pricing amount, but what about crown(which is a 3rd band?) Can RCT tooth be left without a crown permanently? Will it be dangerous to chew hard stuff on it?

This horrid pain I have-does it mean an abscess? It changed a lot over the last few days, but now just constant dull pain in the tooth as is and really extreme if touching it or biting down. If a tooth has an abscess will the treatment to remove it be in 3rd band?

And lastly does the fact I have this severe toothache mean anaesthetic may not work so well and it'll hurt while the dentist's working on the tooth?:eek: