Tooth (root canal, extraction) advice please
Discussion
Turtle Shed said:
Extractions with a local anaesthetic are pretty much painless and done in a minute or two.
(obviously there are exceptions, I'm generalising).
Just adding my two cents.
I think that depends upon which teeth are involved. My son had some out last week and it was a bit of a struggle. By contrast, I had a wisdom tooth out a few years ago and it was so quick that I didn't know the dentist had removed it!(obviously there are exceptions, I'm generalising).
Just adding my two cents.
CrgT16 said:
Like car dealers you say? What a stupid comment! I know more dentists that you and the dishonest ones are just the few but lets just generalise!!
They give Freemasons a run for the biggest closed shop in the UK, collaborating conmen/women ripping off patients and the NHS with impunity.Robotron70 said:
They give Freemasons a run for the biggest closed shop in the UK, collaborating conmen/women ripping off patients and the NHS with impunity.
The more you speak the more ignorant you sound. You have no idea how it all works from the qualification, regulation and registration required to do the job to the way NHS dentistry is funded and what the actually professional in from of you is paid.I appreciate you calling me a conman when you have absolutely no idea. Like any profession you have honest people and dishonest one. Saying all are the same it’s pretty poor and shows how ignorant you are. I work in secondary care and earn my money like you do doing whatever you do. I would risk saying I am probably more honest than you as I don’t have 6-7 aliases on an Internet forum like you do.
You are about 50 I would assume with a chip on your shoulder about professionals, you are old enough to behave like an adult but you choose not to.
A good day to you Sir.
Edited by CrgT16 on Saturday 12th March 09:51
Howard- said:
That’s good to hear. Was it an upper or lower one? Have you had it replaced with an implant or just leaving it?
Lower molar at the back, the wisdom tooth that caused all the trouble needed an 45 minute mini operation at the hospital to extract!! Involved cutting cum, and drilling around bone!! No having it replaced at all the other tooth are fine, and now I don't even notice it's not there.
When the tooth came out the decay was really deep, much more so than what the Xray showed and there was nice little abscess at the root. Had I gone down the root canal route it would have likely need extraction anyways.
Lots of brushing these days for me, it wasn't painful but rather not go through it all again. All the stuff I had done was on the NHS, and none of the dentists pushed me down the private route.
The sorry Saga of my lower left 6 molar;
In the 1980s I broke it on a mussel shell in Brussels (the mussels from Brussels!) I had it filled and then the filling broke and I had it filled and then it broke and then I had it filled and then it broke and eventually I had a cap/inlay, wore out 2 or 3 of those, and then the inlay started to leak and it got infected and I had to have a root canal that was really boring and expensive and then I had another root canal because the first one didn't work properly because the first dentist was an idiot and then finally about 4 years ago I got an abscess underneath it and it had to be extracted which took an hour and several lots of anaesthetic. After it healed up I had an implant at the grand cost of £2500 I've had that about 2 years and it's been absolutely fine . I wouldn't be frightened of root canals if I were you; it was more boring than anything. (I'm using a speech-to-text interface to "type" this, hence the odd phrasing!)
I suspect the damn thing's cost me about £10k over the years.
In the 1980s I broke it on a mussel shell in Brussels (the mussels from Brussels!) I had it filled and then the filling broke and I had it filled and then it broke and then I had it filled and then it broke and eventually I had a cap/inlay, wore out 2 or 3 of those, and then the inlay started to leak and it got infected and I had to have a root canal that was really boring and expensive and then I had another root canal because the first one didn't work properly because the first dentist was an idiot and then finally about 4 years ago I got an abscess underneath it and it had to be extracted which took an hour and several lots of anaesthetic. After it healed up I had an implant at the grand cost of £2500 I've had that about 2 years and it's been absolutely fine . I wouldn't be frightened of root canals if I were you; it was more boring than anything. (I'm using a speech-to-text interface to "type" this, hence the odd phrasing!)
I suspect the damn thing's cost me about £10k over the years.
Howard- said:
Thanks for your info and experiences so far guys. Any further welcome! I think I’m resigned to having it out but I’m rather scared of ant consequences 
I'd look at having a tooth removed as a very last resort as once it's gone it's gone. I'd go for a root canal to prolong it. I've had several some of which are in excess of 10yrs that have caused no additional problems. Mine were all done on the NHS so that limited the cost. If I was looking at what private dentists charge then I'd consider all options, but that said if £500 (?) gets you another 10yrs out of the tooth it'd be worth it.
Root canal and crown on upper molar 20 plus yrs ago. It's been fine ever since. It will probably have to come out at some point but once it's gone it's gone. I think it is worth trying to save your tooth, extraction should be last resort.
Procedure unpleasant but not really painful. Much less grief than having my wisdom teeth out!
Procedure unpleasant but not really painful. Much less grief than having my wisdom teeth out!
I had a root canal done on a lower molar a few years ago. Left the dentist @ 4.30, having a drink outside the pub @ 7.30, all fine. Except a little dribbling, obviously 
It needed a second look as a tiny part of nerve had been missed, but easily sorted. The crown took a while to settle but after xrays to check the dentist said it would in time, and it did.
Extraction is, as others have said, easy enough and the only pain is a sore gum. And their knee on your chest, of course
The only issue afaik is that it'll put extra load on the teeth either side. I had one out one Christmas and years later as the one next to it was already filled, it was at risk because of this. A bridge wasn't an option so the choice was another extraction and denture, or an implant.
If you do have it removed and are offered a bridge, one issue I found is that because they are tooth shaped (predictably) and the gum shrinks, a ledge where food is trapped is made. Fine if you like gurning but otherwise a PITA.
Based on my experiences and no more.
It needed a second look as a tiny part of nerve had been missed, but easily sorted. The crown took a while to settle but after xrays to check the dentist said it would in time, and it did. Extraction is, as others have said, easy enough and the only pain is a sore gum. And their knee on your chest, of course
The only issue afaik is that it'll put extra load on the teeth either side. I had one out one Christmas and years later as the one next to it was already filled, it was at risk because of this. A bridge wasn't an option so the choice was another extraction and denture, or an implant.
If you do have it removed and are offered a bridge, one issue I found is that because they are tooth shaped (predictably) and the gum shrinks, a ledge where food is trapped is made. Fine if you like gurning but otherwise a PITA.
Based on my experiences and no more.
Evening all. First molars are very important teeth which help to regulate the bite ("occlusion") and it is always a good idea to try and save it if possible. This is of course dependent upon there being sufficient tooth structure to restore afterwards. Complexity of root canal anatomy can vary drastically, in an ideal world this procedure should always be performed by a specialist or a dentist with a specialist interest using a microscope. Succes rate with a regular dentist is around 70% and with a specialist around 98%. Expect to pay around 700-1100 for the root canal with a specialist depending on where you are in the country with a crown for anything between 300-700 on top. There is no guarantee they will work of course. I had my first molar root treated by a friend who is a specialist and its still a bit dodgy due to a hairline crack in the tooth. Will probably need an implant in the future but hey-ho thats life! If you do opt for extraction, you are likely to suffer unwanted tooth movement with the adjacent and/or opposing teeth, leading to gaps between the teeth, potential food packing and a higher decay risk in these areas. You may also start using the other teeth more heavily leading to mobility, chipping and potentially accelwrating their demise. An implant is the only real substitute but thats around 2-3k and come with their own risks.
Robotron70 said:
If you’re one of the few good ones then great, a rare beast indeed, but I’ve met enough over my 51 years to have formed my own opinion on the trade.
I agree with you my experience of many dentists have been it's all about them making money.They want everyone signed up to Denplan/ BUPA or some sort of insurance scheme so they can regain the amount of control on how many teeth they can fill and bill without NHS regulation.
Look at this thread £600 for a root canal.
I got my root canal and inlay for £202 five years ago NHS. I told the dentist he was doing it and that no he was not going to pull the tooth out because it could be saved.
He wanted to pull as it is over and done with in one sitting where as the RC meant he had to work for his money over two sittings.
I have friends who have told me the same thing " I have had my tooth pulled out because it needed a big filling". Modern dentistry is way beyond pulling teeth out like we did in 1950's.
The many Dentists are driven by greed. If you get a good one you are lucky.
kestral said:
Robotron70 said:
If you’re one of the few good ones then great, a rare beast indeed, but I’ve met enough over my 51 years to have formed my own opinion on the trade.
I agree with you my experience of many dentists have been it's all about them making money.They want everyone signed up to Denplan/ BUPA or some sort of insurance scheme so they can regain the amount of control on how many teeth they can fill and bill without NHS regulation.
Look at this thread £600 for a root canal.
I got my root canal and inlay for £202 five years ago NHS. I told the dentist he was doing it and that no he was not going to pull the tooth out because it could be saved.
He wanted to pull as it is over and done with in one sitting where as the RC meant he had to work for his money over two sittings.
I have friends who have told me the same thing " I have had my tooth pulled out because it needed a big filling". Modern dentistry is way beyond pulling teeth out like we did in 1950's.
The many Dentists are driven by greed. If you get a good one you are lucky.
I don't really do regrets, I just tend to get on with things but OMG I do so regret not looking after my teeth better when I was younger.
I have been using the same dentist for many years and he is a proper character.
He did used to get carried away sometimes pulling teeth out (partial denture as proof).
Anyway I am rambling.
I don't get all this nhs/private thing. I pay for him to work on my teeth, does that mean it is private? The receptionist always asks if I pay for treatment, if I didn't pay would that be NHS?
I have been using the same dentist for many years and he is a proper character.
He did used to get carried away sometimes pulling teeth out (partial denture as proof).
Anyway I am rambling.
I don't get all this nhs/private thing. I pay for him to work on my teeth, does that mean it is private? The receptionist always asks if I pay for treatment, if I didn't pay would that be NHS?
My advice is to always go to an Endodondist rather than a general dentist for a root canal. I had a root canal redone by an Endontist, and they do a much fuller and more detailed job than a general dentist, getting right into the root canals. It’s obvious from the before and after x-rays.
It’s obviously more expensive, but a failed root canal and crown, followed by a trip to Endodontist and a second crown isn’t easy on the bank balance either and it’s much riskier wrt to losing the tooth.
It’s obviously more expensive, but a failed root canal and crown, followed by a trip to Endodontist and a second crown isn’t easy on the bank balance either and it’s much riskier wrt to losing the tooth.
Gassing Station | Health Matters | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff