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

palegirl1

Thankyou for the advice brook2jack - I have the bad taste again symptom of infection plus the pain in the root canal tooth is back as a sharp pain in my cheekbone + I cannot apply any pressure on that tooth without sharp pain. Back to eating soft food only! I do use use a dentist recommended anti-bacterial wash (sorry presume I can't identify product) 2-3 times a day but will ask about high fluoride toothpaste. Wondering if cheekbone pain is maxillary sinusitus...
Unbelievable that extreme pain doesn't count but like gloomendoom maybe I'll be lucky + good idea to complain to the relevant bodies, as you say nothing is likely to change until people speak up.

brook2jack

Sharp pain on biting is more likely tooth is cracked probably through to root. Would also explain why painful to put rubber dam clamp on. Go back to dentist don't just ask for antibiotics .... The tooth may be unsavable and need extracting.

palegirl1

The tooth unsalvageable -oh my goodness - I sincerely hope not. That will mean, as I have a small mouth 28 teeth rather than 32, that chewing on that side could be a thing of the past - I know an implant is a possible but not, in my case, an affordable option.

When the private dentist found the cracks would he not have noticed they went all the way down or is that only when you get in to do root canal you can discover? Would it show on an x-ray?

brook2jack

Cracks are notoriously difficult to diagnose because they don't appear on xrays and are very difficult to see full extent in the mouth. Special magnification such as loupes and microscopes can help.

If the tooth does come out most dentists would say you will still be ok to eat and don't have it replaced if you still have the teeth in front.

palegirl1

The NHS dentist was a little shocked at the cost of the endodontist I was referred to and said if they had referred me their (private)one would only be £500-600 max - in your opinion do you think it might be worth us trying to raise that cash if they had loupes/microscopes and could potentially save tooth if not cracked to root or should I wait for the hospital?

brook2jack

Bear in mind that after tooth is root filled it will probably need to be crowned afterwards £183 ish nhs , more privately.

It depends on you.... Ring the hospital yourself to enquire about waiting list for treatment( not just first appointment) I would imagine it will be months. You have another tooth that needs rootfilling and that will also probably need a crown which they will probably refer you back to your dentist for.Work out your total budget and priorities and make your decision accordingly. Hospital should do as good a job as a private endodontist with a microscope which for an upper back tooth is invaluable.

palegirl1

Thanks brook2jack - the crown on the temp crowned tooth is already paid for. Although the NHS dentist thought it might be possible to root fill the lower back molar, the private dentist thought it unlikely and was going to extract as the likelhood was it might be abcessed. But thanks for the good advice, I will ring the hospital tomorrow and find out what the waiting list is for urgent referral treatment. I'll post what they reply as it could be of interest to others...and then work out priorities as in leaving it longer I don't want to risk def losing tooth for want of treatment. We could always have a boot sale to help raise cash!!!!

Mark2spark

@ brookjack

Surely people have complained though brookjack?
The likes of the bbc wouldn't have made programs about dental tourism if there wasn't a visible (queing up to register for a new nhs dentist in your area) & vocal problem.
This is Britain and nothing ever gets done, whether it's ridiculous white lined chevrons appearing on roads that don't need them or repairing potholes or providing a health service that isn't based on 9 - 5 only.
No-one gets to actually vote out the very people that are responsible for the decisions that we don't like.

welshdent

lots of things get done mark. Its just its never what people want LOL. The only way a politician will do what you want ... is if you are saying what they want to hear. This new dental contract that came out .... no dentists wanted it. All the problems forceen by the profession have largely happened ... but a civil servant somewhere is able to spin things to the minister to make them think its all fabulous. Either that or make them think all dentists everywhere are crooks.

Mark2spark

I totally agree with that welshdent. A civil servant somewhere done it... a faceless bureaucrat in other words