Hi all,

Been having a lot of dental work recently which, even with NHS assistance, I am struggling to afford. I had a root canal done just before christmas, which all seemed fine. Then last friday I cracked a part of that tooth. I was seen yesterday (Monday) and the cracked part was taken away and repaired with a filling. I was advised not to chew for one hour, but I was cautious and only had soup for dinner last night.

Today I had a breakfast cereal bar, then some soup for lunch which was all fine. But I've just been eating a cheese and ham panini and, much to my dismay, the new filling has come away. I must have swallowed it; there's no pain, but I can just feel that it's gone.

I'm back at the dentist next week (I'm a bit of a mess thanks to severe mental health issues pretty much destroying all concept of self care for the last 3 years or so), so I will relay this to my dentist then. But I can't help feel that something hasn't been right - either in the repair job that was done or in the advice I was given. I followed all of the advice given, and went beyond that. Or perhaps this could have happened at any time and I've just been really unfortunate.

I'm reluctant to go in there complaining when they've been so nice in working with my severe anxiety. My anxiety also means that I avoid confrontation and the thought of having to make a complaint is stressing me out already. But, I'm barely earning right now and paying for this dental work is taking a pretty heavy toll. I feel a bit irritated to have paid for something that essentially lasted 24 hours when I took care to follow advice given.

Can I get some thoughts and advice on this?