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

Cruelemort

This is my top right incisor, i broke about half of it about 6 years ago and it has been capped since, the dentist told me that it will probably have to be crowned after the root canal because it will become brittle and the cap will easily come off.

I have the consultation on 3rd Feb with the specialist so will find out then.

What are the other options if this will not work? And how much will they cost...?

Cheers

welshdent

Extraction is the only other option for a failed root filling. From there your options in ideal situations are - nothing, denture, bridge, implant .. all of those options will be influenced by personal choice, anatomy and quality of adjacent teeth. Did you have a rubber sheet placed over the tooth when the root filling was done?

Cruelemort

Yes there was a rubber sheet thing in my mouth....

Britwife

I went to the dentist today and was told I may need a root canal. However, she did an xray and said my tooth and root area looked healthy. So she gave me a prescription for antibiotics and is having me come back in a week.

I have a composite filling in the tooth that is causing pain. I bit something really hard back in Dec and it hurt for a few days and went away. Then last week had some slight pain like ice cold water and some minimal air sensitivity. I have some discomfort when I eat hard foods like some crips, nuts, and some harder cereals. Other regular foods dont' hurt. She had to bang on my tooth pretty hard for me to feel discomfort.

She also added that she isn't a specialist and I should go to a specialist to get the root canal done as it would be done better. She said she could do it but wouldn't be done to a specialists expertise. Confusing to me and it adds a nice big bill.

I fear the dentists but really don't want a root canal if not really needed. None of it makes sense. Can you tell on an xray if the tooth and root are bad or inflamed?

thanks for any help

welshdent

An x ray is merely and aid to diagnosis. There are normally signs we look for on there to back up suspected diagnoses we already have. Not seeing anything isnt necessarily saying there is nothing wrong just - that there is nothing to see. They are far from faultless. It can sometimes make diagnosis harder when nothing shows but that is usually when the signs and symptoms we are already getting are rather vague. I would say 8 times out of 10 I already know the diagnosis and treament plan for a tooth before seeing the x ray. We need the x ray to treat anyway be it extraction or root filling. If your dentist is advising you see a specialist then that may be code for - I will do it if I have to but I am no where near as good as person x whom I would have doing mine. If you want it done properly then see them. It may add a big bill to you but the fact the dentist is suggesting you see someone else rather than them is often an indication she would like it done well. We get no kick backs for referrals other than the odd bottle of wine!! LOL. Sometimes if diagnosis is vague its often better to allow things to see how they develop for a short period of time. It may get more obvious then.

welshdent

Excellent - its difficult to say one way or the other why yours is not settling. I honestly think that a specialist with the benefit of their experience and equipment will give you a fair appraisal of the tooth and advise accordingly. As I said, if they dont think it will work they wont treat you.

I forgot to comment on your first point re how you paid ... yes its normal to have the cost of the "check up" deducted from the "cost" of the root filling. In actual fact the charges do not relate to the individual treatment items. You pay what is in effect a tax to the PCT to revieve a course of treatment involving certain items. You would have paid the same for just a filling. You would have had a filling placed after the root filling so that would have been covered by the band 2. In essence you have had a free root filling. Mad system! I am trying my best to find a way out of it

Cruelemort

Hehe thanks welshdent. One last question for now - given what you mentioned about the payment system - if i get the root canal and it works, i will then have to get a crown on top, presumably this could be done on the NHS, but would the original £45 be deducted from the £198 for the crown? As in theory it is the same "course of treatment"...

Cheers

Britwife

thank you for the reply. am I able to take comfort in knowing that since it at least looks healthy on the xray that it's not too bad and caught early enough?

I have a large filling in that tooth, is it easier to drill out the composite filling than a tooth? I'm such a fraidy cat with the dentist. I'm afraid of it causing pain, I can deal with the injections but I'm afriad I will feel pain!!1

Toothsmith

j.a.m wrote: »

Dear Toothsmith,

I wonder if you can help me.

I have a hard 'lump' at the bottom of my lower left molar (no.19), on the tongue-side of my gum. I have not always had this; I've been aware of it probably for about a year, but it didn't appear over night. There isn't one on the matching opposite side. It does not hurt to touch it. I have had a 'deep' filling on the tooth in front of it.

My (private) dentist (who is lovely, and professional) tells me it's nothing to worry about, but I recently had a crown replaced on this tooth and it just doesn't feel 'right'. He can tap it and there's no pain, but I feel like there's some kind of 'pressure'.

Have you by any chance come across anything like this before?

Thank you.

There are lots of reasons for lumps & bumps, and it's impossible to comment without actually seeing yours.

I would take comfort from what the dentist who has seen it has told you, but go back and see him again if something seems to have changed, or you're worried.

welshdent

Depends on what is diagnosed as recommended at the time really. Personally I dont view them as the same course of treatment and here is my logic. A root filling is not 100% successful and so we need to make sure it works thus stabilise the tooth. As a result the band 2 root filling would be one phase then a crown a second in about 3 months or so as long as it is ok. There will be exceptions to this though. If there are pressing concerns that the tooth may break without a crown, aesthetic reasons, problems gaining a sufficient seal of the interior aspect of the tooth following disinfection with the root filling. The dentist carrying out the treatment would be the best person to advise though. To be honest it is rare I can afford to provide both together. I am paying out a lot of money for all the equipment I have bought for doing the treatment. More than the cost of a small car. By providing a crown AND a root filling costs more than they pay you when you factor in how much the crown costs and the purchase of the equipment. We have been told we are allowed to do 2 courses of treatments so its unlikely you would get them all done on one.

Also you cant really keep a course open for that length of time practically.