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Original poster

WWYD - third root canal costing £££ or extraction?

36 replies

LuckyVal · 27/05/2021 16:08

Hey,

So last year during lockdown 1.0 a tooth that had previously been niggly turned in to a monster overnight causing me to have an emergency root canal. It was horrendous. I had about 9 injections of anaesthetic and still had tears rolling down my face. At the end the dentist told me I’d need a second root canal once lockdown had eased. A few months later I psyched myself up and went to get the second one done to be told the x ray showed my roots are unusually long and that having it done by a private specialist would be the best option. The NHS dentist said alternatively she would give it a go if I wanted to but wasn’t guaranteeing she would get to the bottom of the root..
I asked her to try. So another hour in the chair another root canal done and at the end she said she still wasn’t happy with it and would refer me for a third treatment with the private dentist. Apart from slight sensitivity the tooth hasn’t bothered me since until last night when I suddenly had the familiar niggly feeling back. I know that this will develop into worse pain so need to to bite the bullet (pardon the pun) and decide what to do. I rang the private dentist and with consultation fees and a crown I’m looking at between £1300 and £1400 to have the tooth done again. I have assumed that there is no guarantee that the third root canal will be successful so am wondering whether to cut my losses and just get the thing taken out. It’s my molar. I’ve already had wisdom teeth out so this is the very back tooth.
Financially we could just about stretch to it but husbands work is short term contracts at the moment and currently not guaranteed past November and my poorly paid teaching assistant job is under review due to a staff restructure. So WWYD?

OP posts:
ProfessorInkling · 27/05/2021 16:12

Huge sympathy, I’m in a similar position and need other stuff doing too.

IMO... You won’t regret keeping the tooth.

littleredberries · 27/05/2021 16:19

I'm really surprised by these costs. I had root canal free with NHS (or massively subsidised can't quite remember) and ceramic crown £400 back in 2013... to add a thousand pound on top of that in just eight years is a massive increase. And root canals not free anymore? Or maybe it was just my area at the time.

Original poster
LuckyVal · 27/05/2021 16:28

@littleredberries The first two treatments were done on the NHS and weren’t anywhere near that cost, but because my roots are so long it needs specialist private treatment by an endodontist which is why the cost is so high. 😟

OP posts:

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Ilikewinter · 27/05/2021 16:31

Honestly id have the tooth pulled!

littleredberries · 27/05/2021 16:31

Ah ok makes more sense. Sorry to hear it!

Precipice · 27/05/2021 16:33

I would try almost anything before agreeing to have a tooth removed.

I'm sorry, OP.

swampytiggaa · 27/05/2021 16:53

I had a similar choice and had the tooth pulled. Never regretted it.

ItsSnowJokes · 27/05/2021 16:57

Get the tooth pulled. It has a high chance of failure on a second and third attempt. And then you will be money down and end up losing the tooth.

This advise counts as long as it is a back tooth where no one else will see it. If it's really noticeable then I would probably hang on to it.

ZednotZee · 27/05/2021 16:59

Its a back molar, get it pulled.

SoddingWeddings · 27/05/2021 17:03

A back molar? Get it out.

I've had many removed due to phobia - pulling under sedative was easier than putting me through multiple times treatments, however I've never regretted it as it ends all the pain.

I have two front teeth I know will be next, and I'm really worried about the options.

MissMarplesGoddaughter · 27/05/2021 17:05

If you have a tooth removed, there is a strong possibility that other teeth will move out of position.

I would advice having a root canal filling and keeping your tooth.

interest12 · 27/05/2021 17:07

Avoid getting it pulled. Your face will look sunken in on one side, unless you don’t care about that kind of thing

SoddingWeddings · 27/05/2021 17:09

@interest12 what a random thing to say. One tooth doesn't equate to a sunken face. I'm missing about 5, I'm 40, and no sinking here!

ItsDinah · 27/05/2021 17:18

I'd battle to save the tooth. Endodontistry is expensive. You could try asking to be referred to an NHS endodontist (e.g. at local dental hospital)but I've never heard of anyone getting this. It's either go privately or lose the tooth if your own dentist can't treat it. The NHS fee for root canal is £62,there's a limit to what you'll get on NHS.

Beebopawhop · 27/05/2021 17:27

I hear you OP, the bane of my existence is my bloody teeth honestly I should have been a dentist....then a dental friend could have done it free/subsidised costs..
So I would definitely have the tooth extracted, it is at the back and as long as it does not affect your chewing/digestion do it! I have two opposing teeth extracted nearer the front and I am being funny about the cost for a bridge/implant....bridge is £1800 and implant £2500 I WOULD like to go on holiday next year though.. :)

FearlessFairy · 27/05/2021 17:30

Get it pulled and put the money towards an implant to replace it!

Notaroadrunner · 27/05/2021 17:34

I'd have it pulled. No way I'd go through another root canal if they couldn't guarantee it would work, which they can't.

Fullofthejoysofspring · 27/05/2021 17:43

I had this experience and opted for extraction but that was only because I knew i would replace the tooth with an implant. Could that be an option in a few months?

Mabelface · 27/05/2021 18:46

I had bastard tooth, as I fondly called it, ripped out and I was glad to see the back of the fucker. I've actually had 2 pulled on the same side and my face isn't sunken. No regrets.

sunnysidegold · 27/05/2021 19:38

I had five root canal treatments on one tooth. Turns out my roots are super twisty. It was a back molar.

I was like you and in a tonne of pain. Each session hurt so much and took a long time.

In the end I said to take it out. That was a tricky procedure. But I have definitely not regretted it. My face is not caved in or sunken Hmm. I really wish I had saved myself those horrible root canals and had the tooth pulled in earlier.

Elieza · 27/05/2021 19:56

I was told I had curved roots so I’d need a specialist to treat it as my dentist couldn’t do it without a microscope or something, I forget. They said it would be at least £500. That was about five years ago in Scotland so I imagine it will be a good bit dearer now.

I was lucky as I got him to give it another go and it took three years but it eventually settled!

Good luck.

TotheletterofthelawTHELETTER · 27/05/2021 20:03

It’s at the back, get it removed,

I had a back molar removed in similar circumstances, I had 3 root canals on it and then it came to needing a 4th. I saw a different NHS dentist who said that while he’d always try to save the tooth so understood why my previous dentist had done the canals, based on my X-rays and roots he would have removed after the first root canal failed, I’ve never regretted it.

I also do not have a sunken face.

OrangeSharked · 27/05/2021 20:06

It sounds more like you've had one root canal so far and are looking at a second? You wouldn't do a full root canal as an emergency

One tooth won't cause your face to sink in. Your existing teeth may drift but this is less likely if it is a very back tooth

Honestly OP its completely up to you and how much you can afford/are willing to spend on a tooth. For 1400 you could feasibly get an implant so it might be worth considering that as an option rather than spending it on re-treatment. If you were really keen on saving it, or devastated at the thought of losing a tooth I'd say get the root canal, but you don't seem to be that upset by the thought of losing it and if you are going to lose a tooth I'd chose a back molar.

Hoppinggreen · 27/05/2021 20:07

I battled with a back molar for many years. Eventually I got a new (private) dentist who said it was a root canal for ££££££ which might not work or pull it out. I had it out and it was fine.
No regrets and no sunken face

MightNeedABiggerGlass · 27/05/2021 20:18

I had a similar thing and decided to get the tooth taken out, I do not have a sunken face and you wouldn't even know.