Got a filling redone 3 weeks ago, which I was worried about because the original filling was already very deep and close to the nerve, but my new dentist seemed blasé about it. A couple of days later the tooth started hurting if I ate/drank anything hot or cold, or bit down on it. Google said this can be normal after a filling and should resolve in a couple of weeks. But it didn’t resolve. On Friday (of course) the pain became continuous, and got worse and worse. Now it’s spread to half my mouth, I’ve been taking multiple types of painkillers (which as usual seem of limited effectiveness) and I finally saw the dentist yesterday to confirm that I need a root canal treatment and then a crown.
I had to have the same thing done years ago on the next door tooth (weirdly, the rest of my teeth are fine, no other fillings) and it was a painful, unpleasant, inconvenient, and very expensive process. I called the same endodontist, and discovered that they have made it even more inconvenient and more expensive, since they now require that I come in for a consultation and pay £££ before scheduling the actual treatment. Apart from the cost, this place is an hour and 20 minutes away, so the consultation is going to take up my whole morning.
I could have the root canal treatment done by my own dental practice, presumably for less money and without the travel, but I don’t really trust them. I just switched to this place, and the fact the dentist didn’t take the risk of messing with that filling seriously doesn’t fill me with confidence. I hate the fact you can never know whether any dental work is truly necessary or not, and dentists frequently seem to disagree on what needs doing.
The root canal plus crown is going to cost me thousands. I’m in severe pain, haven’t been sleeping properly, and can’t focus on my work. Eating is a struggle. The dentist gave me antibiotics yesterday, and they’ve already upset my stomach. Advice is welcome, but mostly I just wanted to vent.
I had a root canal 10 years ago and everything seemed fine afterwards. I recently moved to a new town and had to find a new dentist. My new dentist has machines that can do 360 degree x-ray and he noticed a problem with my root canal tooth and sent me to an endodontist to have it checked out.
Lo and behold, my root canal had failed, something that happens in about 10% of cases, and it became infected some time ago, eating a hole in my jaw, but I never had any pain associated with it, and my last dentist never noticed the problem.
Flash forward to today and I am temporarily living in a new state and wanted to take care of my tooth before matters got worse, although I was still in no pain. A different endodontist said he could re-treat it and that it would cost me $2K out of pocket. I was fortunately able to get dental insurance which took care of half the cost and went in for the re-treatment. Part way through, the endodontist informed me that there was a crack in the tooth and that he couldn’t guarantee the re-treatment would work and that I should have the tooth pulled and have an implant instead, which will likely cost me close to $3k including my insurance. My tooth now hurts and I am on an antibiotic and pain meds until I can get the work done.
The moral of the story is that you should be glad you only need a re-treatment. Things can always be worse.
Damn, that sucks. Could they not just pull the tooth immediately if it has to come out?
Possibly, but I wouldn’t know how to find a good one. This one was recommended to me by a previous dentist as the place he got his own root canal treatment done. I had an NHS dentist back then, but they wouldn’t pay for the root canal, only to have the tooth pulled. Seems shortsighted, because then you end up needing dentures sooner.
Good luck, and commiserations on the cost.
That’s what I thought, too. It’s a molar and I understand those tend to be more difficult, plus I know the tooth is already weakened from the huge filling - several years ago a small piece broke off it when I was cycling home.
I also realised my new car doesn’t have enough range to get there and back, so I’ll have to stop at a public charger, something I haven’t had to do before. What a pain.
Apparently endodontists don’t pull teeth or do implants. They do root canals. I have to meet with my dentist and he has to refer me to an oral surgeon to do the work, so I’m waiting until I get back to my home town to get that started.
I had to see a specialist many years ago for what was euphemistically called a “crown lengthening”. If the dentist had actually told me what was going to happen, I would probably not have agreed to it.
You could get it pulled. But sometimes with a molar you’ll need general anesthesia. Not the kind of thing you’ll want to drive yourself home from. Not that a root canal is any easier really. If you don’t have huge teeth and at least one root is already in bad shape a dentist might be able to yank it out.
I had an appointment to get a cavity filled three weeks ago. Insurance had already approved the work.
The dentist showed me the xray. There was a dark spot on the tooth. It looked fine when he checked it
He put some paste over that area. The dentist thinks it will remineralize the top layer of the tooth. The stuff he put on will peel off the teeth in a few weeks.
I was impressed and relieved that he didn’t want to drill. He could have done the work and billed insurance.
It’s a lot different from my childhood. The dentists found a hole in the tooth and filled it. A little spot on the x-ray was just a warning.
I had a root canal followed by an implant decades ago (like 30-40 years). The implant is still in place without me noticing it at all. I think the root canal was roughly $600 and so was the implant (though those might have been the charges after insurance) which was a lot at the time but I’ve been satisfied with the outcome.
@DemonTree , first, find an endo closer.
If you cannot, get a driver(uber, friend, family) and their car. Offer to pay for gas, lunch. Whatever.
If you’re in serious pain make sure all dental professionals hear it. They’ll try to sell you up with cleanings, extra xrays, multiple appointments. Just keep saying “No, I’m here for pain relief”.
I don’t know your age. What your menus are like. Personally, I’d have it yanked. Unless you’re a smile model or movie star, one missing molar will not ruin your life or face.
A root canal, or implant prep, continuing pain is not worth it. IMO
I fell asleep partway through my root canal. (What can I say; they’ve got you lying on your back, light music playing and I usually close my eyes at the dentist anyhow.)
Ugh. Bringing up horrible memories. Had a cavity go bad quick. They offered the root canal, and I agreed, so it would stop hurting. Horrible experience with the root canal. Two days later, my face hurt very much, and I was spiking a temperature from the infection. Went to the dentist, emergency session, and they numbed me up and pulled the tooth. It came out easily, as it was inflamed and infected. I got almost instant relief when it was out. I got charged for the tooth extraction, but they cut some costs off of the root canal.
I started antibiotics yesterday, but the pain is just getting worse. It feels like someone has put the tooth in a vice and is crushing it up into my jaw. The dentist did say it would take 48 hours to help, I really hope it does. I don’t want to lose my tooth, and having an implant is probably even worse than root canal + crown, and definitely more expensive. My previous experience was notably unpleasant, but I haven’t had any more problems since I got the permanent crown. Fingers crossed this will go equally well.