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Original poster

Any dentists out there or experienced mumsnetters?

13 replies

LindaDawn · 05/03/2021 10:01

NHS Dentist check up yesterday where I told them a tiny amount of filling came away from a heavily filled molar a few weeks ago. No pain. Dentist X-rayed the tooth and said showing signs of inflammation and would need private root canal treatment at £750 plus £282 for a crown. Now I had root canal treatment on that tooth approx 10 years ago. Is it normal to need this done again? Also if I leave it for now and then in the near future it starts to become infected then won’t it have to be done on the NHS?

OP posts:
Apandemicyousay · 05/03/2021 10:04

I’m not a dentist, but isn’t the aim of root canal work to save the tooth from being extracted. That might be what you get offered on NHS if you wait. Sorry, hopefully better advice coming along!

pyjamarama · 05/03/2021 10:04

There is no reason it can’t be done on the NHS now.

pyjamarama · 05/03/2021 10:06

It is not uncommon for a RCT to fail, particularly if not done well the first time.

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Arrierttyclock · 05/03/2021 10:13

I'm a dental nurse and you can re do root canal so I would try that before it gets pulled. Molar endos are tricker as there's more canals so a lot of dentists don't cover them on the NHS as they're very time consuming even though the should!

Any dentists out there or experienced mumsnetters?
DIshedUp · 05/03/2021 11:11

Yes its normal to need re RCT. Everything has a shelf life, RCT is the last step in saving a tooth. Think of root canal as a last chance saloon, its unlikely to save the tooth forever as soon as a tooth has decay its started on the pathway to unrestorability.

I wouldn't call it a failure after 10 years, some will last forever but most will need replacing or the tooth removing at some point.

Re-RCT on a molar is not normally offered on the NHS, once a tooth has got to that stage the NHS option is removal. So yes private re-rct is the only option to save the tooth. A root filled tooth is weaker and will need a crown to protect it and prevent further infection

Original poster
LindaDawn · 05/03/2021 13:20

Thanks for all your very swift comments. I know there is only a very tiny amount of the tooth remaining. I am in no pain or discomfort whatsoever. I was told there looked like there was SOME inflammation going on from the X-ray. It is my very last back tooth on my bottom left. I was given 3 options. Leave it, remove the tooth or root canal treatment with a crown. It just seems so so expensive and the fact that there MAY be inflammation going on a bit seems to me to be unnecessary but what do I know!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
LindaDawn · 05/03/2021 13:23

Is there any guarantee the root canal treatment is successful?

OP posts:
Original poster
LindaDawn · 05/03/2021 13:25

Is there any harm on just leaving things as they are or until I start to have problems. Then I assume the tooth will be removed. It is really important to preserve all your teeth? Sorry if I sound naive.

OP posts:
DIshedUp · 06/03/2021 20:06

Well no they've said there is some inflammation, so its not a maybe situation.

You can leave it till you start to get problems but if you do theres a chance of getting a massive abscess and then losing the tooth rather than being able to save it. Theres no garuntee root canal will be successful no.

Its not really important to preserve all your teeth, losing one very back tooth isn't so much of an issue but as you get older you may lose more teeth and the more teeth you lose, and the earlier you lose them, the harder it is to restore the space. So I would go for preserving existing teeth if you can but at the end of the day it really depends how much you value that tooth.

As a dentist I value my teeth massively, but other people don't and thats also okay. Some people don't care if they've got no teeth at all, and that's a valid choice. You won't have any functional issues as a result of losing one back tooth but if you then lost the one in front, or the one the other side things might start to become difficult and once a tooth is gone its gone.

Original poster
LindaDawn · 06/03/2021 22:10

Thank you dished up for your reply. I am 65 years old, so I may have a different perspective than a much younger person. It’s my very back tooth so I was kinda thinking it wouldn’t matter if I had it removed. I have all my remaining teeth apart from one. Think my age group didn’t have the fluoride etc to help preserve our teeth. Just having so much expense with other health issues at the moment. Think I will go with the root canal treatment but get an NHS crown if tha5 is possible?

OP posts:
DIshedUp · 06/03/2021 23:05

Yes that should be possible Smile

Arrierttyclock · 07/03/2021 20:49

Yeah that should be fine but you'll be paying a band 3 then but that will include the root canal

Bagelsandbrie · 07/03/2021 20:53

Personally I would remove it. Much cheaper and less hassle long term and you probably won’t even notice it’s gone. I have 4 back teeth removed - not wisdom ones, just various back teeth I’ve had issues with - I’m 40 and they were removed in my 20s and 30s and I’ve had no issues at all. Doesn’t affect my chewing and you can’t see the gaps in photos or when I smile.

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