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

annie_d

Bad luck for me! I went to the dentist today who said i couldn't have the crowns replaced after 26 years as the treatment would be cosmetic and not remedial. She also suggests i have my teeth whitened first and then will be able to have whiter crowns fitted. Thoughts please.

Toothsmith

mrs_angry wrote: »

hi toothsmith can you please reasure me.

i went to the dentist today as have had lump in mouth for 3 months+ and i pop it with a needle on a regular basis, just blood comes out, i have no pain in teeth at all.

dentist said it did have pus in it and she prescribed me amoxicillan and took xray and said that as the tooth had already been root filled (it also has a crown) i may have to have the tooth out.she said antibiotics will work in the short term but the boil will reappear

i am petrified and i mean petrified, this tooth is at the front of my mouth just to the side, i just cant not have a tooth

cant they redo the root canal
what will happen if i refuse to have the tooth out
will they just leave me with a gap

the xray never showed up an infection and im not in pain as i dont have a nerve in that crowned tooth anyway

wont the antibiotics clear up the infection, what else could it be

please help i cant sleep or eat because i cant imagine my life with a big ugly gap at the front of my mouth

i look after my teeth and i am gutted

You could ask for a specialist referral, but expect to pay about £4-700.

Re-doing root fillings is always less reliable than doing it the first time.

Being on antibiotics long tem will keep a lid on the symptoms, but won't cure the problem. The bacteria are too ingrained where the blood can't get at them. (Inside the dead tooth).

Having the tooth out may well be the best thing for it, but I'm sure something can be done to fill the gap, which may only cost about as much as the specialist endodontist.

Toothsmith

annie_d wrote: »

Bad luck for me! I went to the dentist today who said i couldn't have the crowns replaced after 26 years as the treatment would be cosmetic and not remedial. She also suggests i have my teeth whitened first and then will be able to have whiter crowns fitted. Thoughts please.

2nd opinion??

silvercar

annie_d wrote: »

Bad luck for me! I went to the dentist today who said i couldn't have the crowns replaced after 26 years as the treatment would be cosmetic and not remedial. She also suggests i have my teeth whitened first and then will be able to have whiter crowns fitted. Thoughts please.

I was considering a veneer and my dentist said that if I was likely to consider whitening at any point, this would need to be done before the veneer. Although it is logical, it did force me to consider whitening when I previously hadn't seriously thought about it.

hethmar

Oh guys please dont have those awful bright white teeth we see everywhere on tv now - they look SO false.

When I got my crowns the dentist sent me to see the technician. Said technician held up a model with a range of tooth colours - I think it went No. 1 to No. 27. He said to me "What shade do you reckon most people choose" I ventured No. 1 and he nodded and laughed and he said it looks awful on anyone over the age of 16. (I told him to recommend me which shade and based on my other teeth he said 16 or 17). Now they absolutely match my remaining teeth, are reasonably bright for a middle aged lady and everyone comments how good "my teeth" look (not my crowns!)

I guess toothsmith will advise, but oh, please dont go OTT on the whitening, it truly looks awful on most people Ive seen.

How often do veneers have to be replaced? I noticed on 10 years younger some of them were staining after a few weeks?

Toothsmith

I actually quite like tooth whitening.

It's a good, non-invasive way of cheering up a smile. (when done properly).

Teeth will never - and should never - match the fridge.

If done to that extent, then porcelain will be involved.

But to take a rather dull smile, and make it a few shades lighter looks nice.

sgrech

Toothsmith wrote: »

It's good that you've found a dentist you get on with.

I would ask him about a referral to a specialist endodontist first. If you start doing things 'behind his back' it could spoil your relationship. He'd almost certainly know an endodontist, and you're more likelyto get a good reputable one going through your dentist.

I've not heard of injecting antibiotics into infections, but I didn't like to comment on that. With all respect, you can't always rely on the patient to give an accurate description of everything they've been told.

That's why I think you need to go and have another chat with the dentist before you start treatment, and before you go looking for your own specialists.

The dentist might well have thought your budget wouldn't run to getting specialist treatment done as well (Although you should always offer all alternatives to all patients - it's sometimes too easy to fall into the trap of making decisions for the patient or presuming what they'd want).

So - just ring up the practice, and ask the receptionist if you can come in for a chat, as you're unsure about some of the aspects of your treatment.

Write down a list of your queries, as these things tend to go right out of your head when you're actually with 'the man in the white coat', and make sure you get an answer you can understand. Even write down the answers if necessary, so you can refer to it later - as you may well forget some of the answers as well.

If it's a decent practice, they shouldn't mind this at all.

Thanks toothsmith, I spoke to my dentist yesterday afternoon for around 20 mins. It turns out that he does own the practice and he won't be going anywhere soon! He reassured and said of all of the right things (e.g. using rubber dam and profiles made from Titannium). I got to find out the total cost which should around £1600 - that's including the crowns. The only thing i remain unsure about is how long these root filled teeth will last, there are no garantees. I owe it to myself to try and save the teeth, particularly given their importance.

I am booked in for my first session next Thursday, will let you know how it goes if I survive. Will then roots filled early January.

Thanks for your help.

Simon

annie_d

Re: second opinion. I have been with this dentist practice since i was nine and am now 47!!!!! I do trust her implicitly and I wouldn't have thought about teeth whitening if she hadn't suggested it firdt though she did say my teeth/mouth were healthy and a "good colour". Maybe it's just the fashion to have whiter teeth. My front three teeth are crowned though, and as i said, I have had them 26 years nearly. They look ok except for when i do a "big grin" (not that it happenes often) when u can see the metal across the top. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh what to dooooooooooooo?

o2brich

.....Re-doing root fillings is always less reliable than doing it the first time......

Oh no, I have just had one re-done yesterday and was feeling so proud of myself for having gone through it, although to be honest it was easly in the end 'cos the dentist was brilliant. He did it using the rubber dam and I have to say that although I had nightmares before going and at times thought I wouldn't make it to the appointment, it turned out to be one of the best dental experiences ever.

I had the root canal treatment years ago and have had pain from it ever since but the dentist kept saying couldn't see a problem. I changed dentist recently to a private dentist and straightaway after a scan he said he could tell the root canal treatment had not been done properly, hence my pain and him re-doing it.

Oh well, fingers crossed it will be OK.

hethmar

toothsmith, a few shades lighter - but the bright white smiles that seem to be in every celebs mouth now, really are quite comical I think. There have been a number of people in Corrie - starting with our "Rawsie" who have gone so OTT, I wondered if it were an "in joke" when Liz had that large photo portrait of her and Vernon "touched up to give you whiter teeth".