Failed molar filling or impacted wisdom tooth?

essex_grl

Hi all. I went to see my dentist as an emergency for throbbing pain today. My first molar has a very deep filling which has worn down. I thought that was the cause. 

She recommended I have that extracted which is booked for Xmas eve. Xmas ruined!

When she did X-ray she noted that I have a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth but said nothing else about it.
I’ve been given antibiotics to clear any infection but I’m concerned that pulling this first molar isn’t the best thing to do. 

Have I been recommended the wrong course of treatment? 

Thank you

Brie

Can I ask where the dentist was trained and how old the individual is??  Sorry Brits but there's an idea with foreign dentists that training used to be pretty dire in the UK and they depended on the "pull it out" idea to resolve all sorts of issues.  I wouldn't expect this response too quickly from a younger dentist or many of the foreign ones that moved to the UK to pick up the NHS practices.  

You can certainly ask for a second opinion.  If you can afford to go private (assuming you aren't already) then you are likely to be seen pretty quickly.  I would question too why nothing much was said about the wisdom tooth.

And giving not wanting to ruin Christmas is a very acceptable reason to delay to give yourself a bit of time.

essex_grl

Thanks Brie.
My dentist is English and late 20s to early 30s.

I’m in so much pain that I’m happy to have the molar extraction xmas eve IF that’s the cause.
it is an nhs dentist and the Xmas eve is a cancellation I grabbed. The next available appt was March.

Lorian

maybe Toothsmith will see this and you'll get his words of advice.

But if it was me I wouldn't be rushing to remove that molar if it has an impacted wisdom tooth behind it. Its hard to tell without seeing the x-ray of course. I'd hope the pain to be gone by xmas with the antibiotics anyway. I

I'm not a dentist but I've had a couple of deep filled molars and impacted wisdom teeth....

essex_grl

Thank you Lorian.

I’m desperate to get rid of this pain but looks like I might end up stuck with it a while if I want to get referred to sort the wisdom tooth before dealing with the molar.
I just want to get this pain to stop asap. Can’t eat and barely sleeping. It’s horrible.

Lorian

something cold on the outside and of course plenty of pain killers are available over the counter for relief. for me the antibiotics start to work after 2-3 days.

Other than looking at an x-ray a little flap or  bump in the gum behind the molar can be a bit of a clue 

rubbing a finger over the gums back there can give a clue to where the pain originates

putting something cold on the molar can give a clue too

if its in the gum between the molar and wisdom tooth brushing with a small brush (intergap bush) and some corsadyl gel might help

essex_grl

Ibuprofen and tramadol are being taken.
X-ray showed no obvious infection in the tooth but my gums all along that right side are swollen, red and weird tasting.

come Friday, at my booked extraction do I get it done or question the wisdom tooth?
I know if I don’t do it then, I’ll have a long wait ahead of me.

I also don’t want to yank out a molar because it “maybe” that hurting. 

Lorian

I cant advise you but my personal experience (I'm maybe a little older than you) is that every tooth lost is missed for a long time. I'm lucky I have a dentist that tries everything to keep the teeth but that's not on the NHS.

there are lots of things we dont know like is the molar root filled. presumably not crowned.

if you can taste the infection then Corsodyl mouth wash rinsed as per the instructions might help fight the infection. It can cause some staining if used too much.

essex_grl

I understand you can’t advise. I’m just stressed out. 

The molar is on its 3rd filling. I’ve never had root canal treatment.

Lorian

you really need @Toothsmith opinion
 

Toothsmith

essex_grl said:

Hi all. I went to see my dentist as an emergency for throbbing pain today. My first molar has a very deep filling which has worn down. I thought that was the cause. 

She recommended I have that extracted which is booked for Xmas eve. Xmas ruined!

When she did X-ray she noted that I have a horizontally impacted wisdom tooth but said nothing else about it.
I’ve been given antibiotics to clear any infection but I’m concerned that pulling this first molar isn’t the best thing to do. 

Have I been recommended the wrong course of treatment? 

Thank you

I can't advise anything just from this information - and I can't give specific advice on this site anyway.

Generally though:- 

I would always have more faith in the advice given by a dentist who can actually see you and have all the information (such as x-rays) to hand, rather than someone on the internet who may or may not be an actual dentist, and is only relying on the patient's description of the consultation.

Dentists are obliged to get 'informed consent' for any treatment they are proposing to do, and this should include a discussion of the options and their pros/cons/costs/success chances. If you do not feel you have been informed of all the options then you certainly need more of a conversation with the dentist about just what is happening, and what can be done about it, and if there are any alternatives to extraction even if those are private options.

Impacted wisdom teeth are 2 teeth further back than the first molar (This is assuming that what you're calling a first molar is what I call a first molar, and that you have all 3 molars in that jaw still) They are often 'incidental' findings on an x-ray, and the vast majority just live there quite happily for the patients entire life. I would have thought it quite hard to mistake the symptoms and signs of one from the other - but obviously I have not and cannot see you or your X-rays.

The only alternate treatment think of is between extracting that molar and root filling it. But the viability of having it root filled or not will depend on many factors, and I just can't comment reliably. It's likely that a root filling in the molar could only be available privately, and that's likely to be a fee north of £500.

It is possible the antibiotics might buy you more time to consider your options if you feel they've not been discussed properly - but again, I can't say that with any certainty, as I've not seen the problem.