Root canal - drill broken inside.
Discussion
Just after a bit if advice really, had a second visit with my NHS dentist today for a root canal treatment on a lower molar, during the drilling of one of the roots the drill snapped off right at the bottom of the root and he cant get it out ( the dentist told me and showed me an xray after he'd "finished").
Just after a bit of advice really what options I have ongoing? He said it could be cemented and left, but there was still infection in the roots and I have another appointment to clean the root cavities again.
I'd rather not leave it there if theres a risk after a few months that it flares up but I also dont want to lose or have an extraction on an otherwise OK tooth.
Any help from our resident dentists much appreciated.
Just after a bit of advice really what options I have ongoing? He said it could be cemented and left, but there was still infection in the roots and I have another appointment to clean the root cavities again.
I'd rather not leave it there if theres a risk after a few months that it flares up but I also dont want to lose or have an extraction on an otherwise OK tooth.
Any help from our resident dentists much appreciated.
t. Are dentist drills titanium? Cos if not, I'd imagine it needs to come out?We like to call it separation rather than snapping. 
More info here.
http://www.dentistrytoday.com/endodontics/310-the-...
More info here.
http://www.dentistrytoday.com/endodontics/310-the-...
Cupramax said:
Martin_M said:
Words fail me - just leave it in?!?
If you have nothing constructive to say why bother 
I see you work in education, lets hope its not dentists eh....
He wasn't having a go at you/telling you to man up.
So seeing as you mentioned education, perhaps its you who needs educating...
If you were removing an 8cm screw from a piece of wood and 1cm snapped off in the bottom of the hole, how would you go about removing that 1cm without damaging the wood? Imagine trying to do the same when the broken bit of the screw has a fraction of a millimetre diameter....It's quite difficult 
GALLARDOGUY said:
Cupramax said:
Martin_M said:
Words fail me - just leave it in?!?
If you have nothing constructive to say why bother I see you work in education, lets hope its not dentists eh....
He wasn't having a go at you/telling you to man up.
So seeing as you mentioned education, perhaps its you who needs educating...
Happened to me too. I've got 10mm of drill bit in my tooth. No problem since, it's been in there 10 years.
I'm also not surprised it happened, the dentist was putting WAY too much side loading on, I remember thinking "is this drill bit friggin amazing or what?"...then it snapped...."no" was the answer to my question.
I'm also not surprised it happened, the dentist was putting WAY too much side loading on, I remember thinking "is this drill bit friggin amazing or what?"...then it snapped...."no" was the answer to my question.
Martin_M said:
GALLARDOGUY said:
Cupramax said:
Martin_M said:
Words fail me - just leave it in?!?
If you have nothing constructive to say why bother I see you work in education, lets hope its not dentists eh....
He wasn't having a go at you/telling you to man up.
So seeing as you mentioned education, perhaps its you who needs educating...
OP don't worry, this happens all the time.
If you're lucky and it's the top part which breaks you can often get it out but more often than not it's the last few millimeters and as already mentioned, trying to retrieve a hair-thin piece of titanium from the end of a 21mm odd length of root is nigh on impossible without causing massive destruction.
The few that have broken when I've done root treatments have not gone on to cause problems. Try not to worry, he did the right thing explaining to you. This can happen to anyone, no system is perfect.
If you're lucky and it's the top part which breaks you can often get it out but more often than not it's the last few millimeters and as already mentioned, trying to retrieve a hair-thin piece of titanium from the end of a 21mm odd length of root is nigh on impossible without causing massive destruction.
The few that have broken when I've done root treatments have not gone on to cause problems. Try not to worry, he did the right thing explaining to you. This can happen to anyone, no system is perfect.
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