Dental complaint

majorwally

On my last visit to my dentist I had some root canal work.
Unfortunately, the drill broke and they couldn't get it out, so they left it in place.
They assured me it wouldn't create any problems but I am now having serious swelling and aches.
When I complained they seem to have lost the x rays showing the drill bit stuck in place so how can I prove it was this particular dentist that did it?

Any ideas would be a big help.

paddyrg

Presumably you either paid for the treatment or it was paid for by the NHS (or a bit of both). There will be paper trails. There are some dental hospitals around the country where they can do complex procedures like having to remove a drill bit from your face, and they'll retake your x-rays as a matter of course.

custardy

paddyrg wrote: »

Presumably you either paid for the treatment or it was paid for by the NHS (or a bit of both). There will be paper trails. There are some dental hospitals around the country where they can do complex procedures like having to remove a drill bit from your face, and they'll retake your x-rays as a matter of course.

but that wouldnt prove who broke the drill bit in there?

brook2jack

Why do you need to prove this? If it is in the notes and they are sorting it what is the problem?

Endodontics involves very tiny instruments which can break even in the mist experienced of hands. The important thing is you were informed. They are right in most cases it doesn't cause a problem but unfortunately it is one if those things that happens. Root treatment has a success rate of around 80% because of the difficulties of cleaning out these tiny spaces.

Firefox1975

custardy wrote: »

but that wouldnt prove who broke the drill bit in there?

I think it is pretty safe to assume the OP didn't do it themselves!

and it wouldn't matter which dentist actually did it, the practise would have a duty of care to get it removed themselves.

quite why they left it in there I don't know. I am sure all the OP is looking for is another appointment to get the root canal work redone so they should just go back to the dentist and ask them for an appointment! it is unlikely they would have changed dentists practises in the meantime!

You can actually ask dentists to redo work!

Toothsmith

Proving who did it is no problem - the notes will show it, and if the notes aren't accurate, they're in even bigger trouble.

As Brook said, an endodontic instrument breaking in a root canal isn' an uncommon thing, it's a known complication.

If one breaks, it is vital the dentist informs the patient - which they have done.

The thing to do then is
1. Try to get it out - this is very difficult, and can sometimes do more damage if done badly
2. Leave it alone and see what happens. Often, depending at what stage in the process the instrument broke, it can be perfectly OK. A sterilized bit of surgical titanium or stainless steel makes a perfectly good root filling material provided the root canal was well cleaned before it actually broke.
3. Refer to a specialist endodontist (root filler) to remove the file, or by-pass the blockage. This is much more expensive, and who should pay for this is often contentious, given that an instrument breaking IS a possible complication, and even the most careful dentist can have it happen to them if a root canal is particularly thin or twisty.
4. Extract the tooth.

So - proving who did what will not be a problem.

What you need to do now is to get back to the dentist and discuss the possible options for that tooth in the context of just how good the remaining tooth will be, and what's the best long term solution.

majorwally

They have admitted that it did happen at their surgery.
Albeit 4 years ago.

Trouble is I have stated that it is causing me big problems but he has totally ignored me and just filled the one next to it because it was decayed saying that was the one giving me the problem.

It wasn't and I still have the problem.

I am not sure has to my next move as I have appointment on Friday.
I can't afford £204 for treatment and I believe they should waive payment as they caused the problem in the first place.

I understand that these things can and do happen, but if you operated on someone and left a knife in them you would be in big trouble so I don't really see any difference.

tomjonesrules

Has a dentist established that the drill bit is causing the current problem? It could be totally unrelated.

You cannot compare someone leaving a knife in the body with a small drill bit in a tooth. The former will cause significant damage, the latter is seemingly acceptable and usually trouble free*.

* I am assuming Toothsmith is a dentist, so his advice is reliable.

arcon5

If you did have a case to have it rectified it would have been after either it happened or after you knew of it (if at a later date). The fact that it has been 4 years complicates things somewhat.

brook2jack

£204 is the cost for crowning a tooth not for redoing a root treatment. A root treatment is £47 in England.

Nhs work is guaranteed for one year only and even the best rootfilled teeth can blow up at any time due to factors totally unconnected to a fractured root canal instrument ie the tooth can crack.

However it is important to realise the dentist did not cause the problem in the first place. The problem was caused by presumably decay close to the nerve, killing the nerve off and leaving you and the dentist with the choice of extracting the tooth or trying to save it with root treatment.

On a back tooth root treatment has a success rate with a general dentist of around 75% if it is uncomplicated. Narrow roots, curved roots etc will decrease that rate. If you see a specialist and pay upwards of £450 the success rate is higher but not guaranteed.

Discuss this before any work is done because ultimately if no agreement is met you are liable for the costs.

As to filling the other tooth, if it was decayed it is good practice to eliminate this as a cause of your pain before investigating the root filled tooth , particularly as it has been four years since your last visit and decay can really get going in that time.

You have had other work done as well as this tooth, and presumably if you have been quoted £204 this is for a crown which was not part of your original treatment four years ago. in which case this is a cost which has to be paid as it has little to do with your original treatment.

Toothsmith

So your last visit to the dentist was 4 years ago?

It's usually recommended that a root filled tooth is crowned pretty soon after the root filling is completed. As root filled teeth are proned to fracture.

It's easily possible that the reason this tooth has blown up is not because of the broken instrument (As it has been quiet for 4 years) but because the tooth has deteriorated in the time since it has been done, and even the best root filling could easily have done the same thing had the mouth not been resonably maintained in the meantime.

Not having regular check ups puts you in a similar position to anybody making a claim to the manufacturers having not followed the servicing recommendations for the product.

You're not exactly up the creek without a paddle - but you are in a very weak position.