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

SLB007

Hi everyone,

before christmas I had a back molar filled because on the x-ray we could see that the tooth was becoming decade inside, so I had to have it done before it touched the nerve. At the beginning of the year I had pain in the tooth and now according to my dentist I need a root canal. NHS prices I paid 49.50 for the filling and now for the root canal on the same tooth another 49.50 within less than 2 months is that right.?

Although He doesn't seem too keen on doing it referring me to a specialist saying that the tooth has 3 canals and they curb, although saying that the NHS equipment is not as good as private. Cannot afford private at the moment I am on Amoxicillin, the tooth was not to painful anyway but the gum was a bite painful when touching it nothing unbearable. He done an x ray and showed me a black spot on one of the canals, my tooth seems dead as it is not responding to the tests he done cotton wool with some sort of liquid. what is you advise? I am supposed to make my mind up.
got an appointment for next week so he can drill the tooth and have a better look.

t

j.a.m

Could anyone tell me if a root-filled tooth should always subsequently be crowned?

Thank you.

welshdent

perinally I would take the hint on the private referral. A specialist that does these daily with microscopes and TIME would stand a better job at doing it right than someone that is not confident in their ability. It isnt the private equipment being the issue. Anyone can buy the equipment. It comes from root fillings being complicated procedures and different people have different skills. Its like saying Christiano Ronaldo and Dai Davies from merthyr reserves are both footballers so they must be as good as each other

welshdent

j.a.m wrote: »

Could anyone tell me if a root-filled tooth should always subsequently be crowned?

Thank you.

In a back tooth I think more often than not .. yes .... well kinda. You should aim to cover the biting surface fully which doesnt necessarily mean FULL crown but ideally a partial coverage crown called an onlay. Not always needed in front teeth as they do not take as much load. Back teeth however are 6 times more likely to break than non root filled teeth. Crowns help reduce that happening

metalgal

SLB007 wrote: »

Hi everyone,

before christmas I had a back molar filled because on the x-ray we could see that the tooth was becoming decade inside, so I had to have it done before it touched the nerve. At the beginning of the year I had pain in the tooth and now according to my dentist I need a root canal. NHS prices I paid 49.50 for the filling and now for the root canal on the same tooth another 49.50 within less than 2 months is that right.?

Although He doesn't seem too keen on doing it referring me to a specialist saying that the tooth has 3 canals and they curb, although saying that the NHS equipment is not as good as private. Cannot afford private at the moment I am on Amoxicillin, the tooth was not to painful anyway but the gum was a bite painful when touching it nothing unbearable. He done an x ray and showed me a black spot on one of the canals, my tooth seems dead as it is not responding to the tests he done cotton wool with some sort of liquid. what is you advise? I am supposed to make my mind up.
got an appointment for next week so he can drill the tooth and have a better look.

t

From the sound of it your tooth is as dead as the do do. The test he done with the liquid and cotton wool would have made you jump out of the seat if the tooth was was still alive.

The tooth is a lower first molar the most difficult of teeth to do a root canal on as it has three canals. The dentist may be able to do it fine but if the root canals are curved then it will be very difficult and a specialist would be the best. They won't know until they drill in. Ask about referral to a NHS specialist or your local dental hospital. If you decide to go for a referral they will patch the tooth up so you wont be left with a giant hole.

If you want a white filling on top you would have to go private which would cost 500+ easily. :eek:

If the dentist does make a referral to an NHS service its a good thing. He's not going to be making money out of it so it means that he's just ensuring the highest standard of care for you.

SLB007

metalgal wrote: »

From the sound of it your tooth is as dead as the do do. The test he done with the liquid and cotton wool would have made you jump out of the seat if the tooth was was still alive.

The tooth is a lower first molar the most difficult of teeth to do a root canal on as it has three canals. The dentist may be able to do it fine but if the root canals are curved then it will be very difficult and a specialist would be the best. They won't know until they drill in. Ask about referral to a NHS specialist or your local dental hospital. If you decide to go for a referral they will patch the tooth up so you wont be left with a giant hole.

If you want a white filling on top you would have to go private which would cost 500+ easily. :eek:

If the dentist does make a referral to an NHS service its a good thing. He's not going to be making money out of it so it means that he's just ensuring the highest standard of care for you.

actually is a top left middle mollar.

welshdent

SLB007 wrote: »

actually is a top left middle mollar.

IMO possibly harder to treat - lower molars are hard because of access ... uppers are hard because they have extra small canals that are almost impossible to locate without the use of an operating microscope. A general dentist in practice more than likely will not have one. Finding these canals are a job and a half but NOT finding them is a major cause of failure in these teeth.

coldstreamalways

The elusive MB2, or three! These canals are a nightmare to find, I use magnifying glasses and have found a handful, the specialists say that almost everyone has them! A microscope is an amazing bit of kit, I used one as a student, if I needed this treatment there is no doubt that I would go to a specialist.

Whether or not, as a dentist, I would try to save the second molar, I couldn't say.

Toothsmith

Whilst there is certainly a large incidence of minor canals wthin a tooth, their significance is far from certain.

There are also possibly hundreds of lateral canals and all sorts of wiggley bits that cannot possibly be fully cleaned - microscopes or not.

However, success rates for endodontic specialists have historically been at about 95% for the last 30 yrs. Long before the actual incidence of these extra canals was fully realised.

The conclusion, therefore, is that it's probably more down to just time an care spent getting what you CAN see and work with as clean as you possibly can, and sealing it up well.

welshdent

coldstreamalways wrote: »

The elusive MB2, or three! These canals are a nightmare to find, I use magnifying glasses and have found a handful, the specialists say that almost everyone has them! A microscope is an amazing bit of kit, I used one as a student, if I needed this treatment there is no doubt that I would go to a specialist.

Whether or not, as a dentist, I would try to save the second molar, I couldn't say.

I bought one about a year ago (scope - zeiss) ... absolutely love it! Makes endo enjoyable and I am finding canals all over the place ... I wouldnt do molar endo without one now as I just dont think I could do a good job without one