Route Canal/Extraction

keeleyjadex

Hi guys,

I had the dentist this morning as I've had killer toothache on the 2nd from back tooth on the right hand side of my mouth. I went expecting the current filling to be removed and refilled. However, she's said the filling is too big to do again so I can either have root canal treatment or have the tooth removed!

I am PETRIFIED of the dentist so just getting there today was a big thing for me. I have heard horror stories about root canal so opted for the extraction. Now I've looked in to root canal a bit more, it seem that is actually probably the better of the two!

The extraction is costing me £48 on the NHS. I think root canal is also under band 2, but have read elsewhere about crowns being neded so takes it up to band 3 (£200 odd!)

Has anyone had it that can advise me what it's like, and the costs on NHS etc?

Thanks,
KJ X

Frogletina

My dentist was away when I was in a lot of pain so I went to another dentist who did a root canal treatment and that was over 30 years ago.

When I went back to my original dentist she said that she would have extracted it.I changed dentist from that day. It has never given me any further problems and it did not need a crown.

Sorry I cannot advise on costs as mine was so long ago.

aggypanthus

root treatment then means the tooth will be filled again, so it doesnt make sense that she said its too big to be filled again!
have you misunderstood?
its probably just a straight choice between root canal or extraction. is she offering root treatment with a crown instead of a filling?
last year I had 2 veneers and 3 crowns for the max charge of £385 NHS.
root canal takes a few visits to include impressions for the crown then fitting it, consider whether you are comfortable with a few half hour appts?

Ilona

Sorry I don't know how much these treatments cost, but like you I have heard horror stories about root canal treatment. My own thoughts are, if it is a back tooth or near the back, if all the surrounding teeth are still there and are in good condition, I would be inclined to have it out and be done with it. If you have enough teeth left to chew your food then why bother keeping it. I had a large filling in a large molar which fell out. Not much tooth left to refill or crown, so out it came.

Ilona

welshdent

As a dentist I would infer from the dentist that the fact they have offered the root filling it means that they feel it is doable. Only you can know if it is worthwhile or not.

Now in my experience; "too big" is generally a lay mans way of saying it needs more work than just doing a filling. I find that if a tooth has got to the stage that it hurts a lot on its own then the nerve is affected and no matter how many fillings you put in, it wont fix the problem. There are indeed only 2 options for active treatment. 1 take it out (guaranteed to stop the pain but you lose the tooth) or 2 root filling - ONLY deals with the dead/inflamed nerve. Does NOT restore the top but does mean you keep the tooth.

It takes a long time to do properly and isnt a rushed job. I take an hour and a half as an average for 1 tooth.

DOes it need a crown? Most back teeth need some sort of coverage of the biting surface by either a crown or an onlay. So it DOES need more work. Root fillings weaken the tooth so a simple direct filling IMHO is more often than not inadequate and by not crowning you shorten the life span of an already compromised tooth. Ignore scare stories. Talk to your dentist and listen to their advice.

brook2jack

In England root canal treatment comes under band two treatment £48.

However most dentists , once the root filling has settled , will want to crown or inlay the tooth a few months afterwards which will be a band three treatment £209 ish in England.

Root treatment is successful in roughly 80 to 90% of cases, it takes a couple of visits and is normally a comfortable proceedure, you shouldn't feel pain but you do feel a "whirring" sensation in the tooth. However you do commit yourself to a couple of longish appointments to do the root filling and a couple more longish appointments for the crown.

Once the initial appointment is done, unless you have the tooth out, you will never need an injection on the tooth again, and indeed if the tooth is already dead you may not need one for the first appointment.

Whether you elect to try and save the tooth or have it out depends on how important it is to you and whether you will come back for the inlay/crown which is often necessary afterwards.

keeleyjadex

OK. Thanks for all the advice. I think when she said too big - it's already got a filling in it, she took an X ray and said the filling is very big and there's decay underneath the tooth so I only had the 2 options. Trust me, if I could just leave it, I would but the pain is getting worse now!

To be completely honest, if it would be best if a crown was applied after, then I'll go for the extraction. I don't have £209 to spare unfortunately.

It is the back of the mouth of not a massive problem because it's not on show. Just more worried about the pain after and the mess of it! But I think extraction may be the best option (price wise anyway!)

Bronnie

I had the first stage of root canal work on the same tooth as yours a couple of weeks ago. To be absolutely honest, apart from the injection and keeping your mouth open for a fair while, the treatment was absolutely fine and I'm not the bravest. I am going back next week for a 45 min appointment to complete the filling. The dentist then wants to leave it for a while to ensure it settles down before he crowns it.

Judging by your picture, you are probably half my age. I would always prefer to hold onto my teeth where possible, rather than have an extraction and in the great scheme of things, if possible, I think it is worth trying to budget to keep a tooth. Once it's gone it's gone for ever. I had root canal work on another tooth over 30 years ago and the tooth has never needed touching again, so that was money well-spent in my book.

**dancingbutterfly**

I had the same option last year.

Extremely painful tooth that was filled twice, obviously didn't drill all decay out and a year after the pain started I had a root canal on the NHS with sedation because Im absolutely petrified of dentists! After much too-ing and fro-ing deciding!

The BEST decision I have ever made. I just had one appointment, 1 hour later I managed to walk out (sedation is A-mazing! ) And no pain, no more keeping my mouth shut when it was windy outside, no more drinking liquids on the opposite side of my mouth!....heaven!

And all for £50! I would seriously consider root canal treatment, my dentist was amazing...used a dental dam too which helps a lot with the success rate I think.

Good luck with your decision


Oh and it didn't hurt!

aggypanthus

I would like to know why only gold crowns are allowed on NHS for back teeth, I have to decide on this or pay private for a white one. i dont fancy the idea of naff gold tooth!

brook2jack

Because nhs dentistry is not about what looks good but what secures dental health. A metal crown will hold a tooth together perfectly well it just wont look as nice.

The laboratory fee for a good White back crown is much more than that for a nhs metal crown. However there are sitauations ie right at the back of the mouth where gold is a better bet as less tooth is removed and it resists the massive stresses of the bite there better.