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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To expect a crown after Root Canal treatment?

54 replies

BoyMeetsWorld · 02/10/2012 09:54

Ok, apologies to any dentistry industry types I offended recently with my rant about dentists - I was in major pain (abscessed tooth) & meant MY experience of dentists really, not every dentists without exception.

Today I finally got my root canal treatment & to be fair my dentist was great - it was quick & almost pain free.

However, he's put a filling over it which to my surprise he said is permanent. From everything I have heard / read you need a crown on a root canal ASAP or you have a big risk of losing the tooth. He is telling me the filling & a bite guard at night will suffice. (ice already paid upfront for NHS Band 3 Crown). When I said I would like the crown really he suddenly said there isn't very much of the tooth left to put a crown on.

What do you think? Is he just fobbing me off do ive paid for a crown but just got a filling? Will a filling actually be enough? & does it sound like I'm going to lose the tooth now anyway (which I was at no point advised)??

OP posts:
Squeegle · 02/10/2012 19:19

Ps £209 is a bargain. I'm sure I paid about £500 even all that time ago. I think that was private though.

LunaticFringe · 02/10/2012 19:22

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Dereksmalls · 02/10/2012 19:24

I had a couple of root canals years ago (at least 15 years), no crowns and never had any problems. I've never heard this.

goodiegoodieyumyum · 02/10/2012 19:25

I had a root canal about 16 years ago, I did not have a crown even though i was told i should as I was so traumatised by the root canal that i could not bring myself to go back to the dentist, I have just been told have to have a new root canal done on the same tooth and a crown fiitted otherwise I will lose the tooth. I don't live in the Uk so it is going to cost me a fortune.

Dereksmalls · 02/10/2012 19:27

Same tooth as you I think - however since have had no problems with them I couldn't say for sure

Anonymumous · 02/10/2012 20:20

I had a root canal with filling, but the filling kept crumbling away so my dentist finally gave me a crown this year. I got the impression that it's a bit of a last-resort thing - he did say originally that I might need a crown eventually, but we should wait and see how the filling went first.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 02/10/2012 22:05

Sorry, I was at work then parents evening, glad others answered your questions :)

Toombs · 02/10/2012 22:07

My dentist tried a crown but there just wasn't enough tooth left. I'm having the remains extracted and will need a bridge.

sarahtigh · 02/10/2012 22:26

Dentist on maternity/career break here, you do not of necessarily need crown, to keep teeth as long as possible you should treat as conservatively as possible ie the smallest restoration possible that will be stable

if you grind your teeth at night, it can cause cusps to fracture it can also cause trauma to nerves, as when at rest our teeth do not normally touch as you are typing (you should try) as most people need to make tiny movement to get teeth in contact,

clenching or grinding teeth puts pressure on the nerve which can make it inflamed which in turn causes pain, in the past before the real damge of clenching /grinding was known many back teeth were root filled or extracted to get rid of pain, that with hindsight may well have been treatable with nightguard

your nightguard may well put in band 3 but if it prevents further trouble it may well be the best money you have spent in a while; as clenching and grinding can give people sore jaws when they wake up and also tension type headaches

it needs to be custom made; the first few nights it will feel like trying to sleep with several gobstoppers but after that it will be ok like a kid with brace uncomfortable for a few days but within a few weeks it should be working well so make sure you wear it every night, grinding teeth in the night can really disturb a partner just like snoring

don't rush into a crown, also teeth with post and crowns on a patient with a grinding habit are doomed to break

personally I would say that less than a third of root treated teeth have crowns on

paddingtonbear1 · 02/10/2012 22:33

I have two root canals without crowns (mid back bottom teeth). Both lasted around 10 years before needing to be redone. Dentist fixed them without needing a crown - I thought I'd been lucky to keep the teeth, as I left it a while (not keen on dentists)!

hiddenhome · 02/10/2012 22:35

I had a root canal 8 years ago and didn't have a crown fitted. The tooth is still going strong Smile

Original poster
BoyMeetsWorld · 03/10/2012 07:03

Uurgh to top it all I suspect he may have done the wrong tooth :s the one that's been done - fourth from front - wa sensitive & I remember him saying it needed a filling. But it was FIFTH from front that the X-rays showed had abscess / root canal needed. I remember him saying it was the same tooth which had a filing on the other side - & looking at it that's v definitely fifth from front :s now all anaesthetic has worn off, the one he's done is quite sore (to be expected) & the one next to it still hurts an awful lot Sad

OP posts:
sarahtigh · 03/10/2012 08:14

if you grind your teeth it is quite common for them all to be sore and once one treated another one to start up, please give it 2-3 days to settle root treatment is like a minor operation though what is done does heal the tissues around also need to heal, take painkillers as recommended and if no better ring practice first thing friday morning for emergency appointment, ( ie be on phone the minute they open)

zeldapinwheel · 03/10/2012 09:07

A root filling is a band
2 treatment, 47 pounds. Anything needing a dental lab automatically puts it into band 3, 209 pounds. A 150 difference. The the lab bill for a bite guard is about 40 pounds. Nice earner. To be honest the success rate for an NHS root filling is pretty low crown or no crown.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 03/10/2012 09:25

I would doubt he has done the wrong tooth, it should settle ,if not phone for emergency appointment, take painkillers for next day or two.

You really don't trust dentists, they aren't all sharks, honestly.

slartybartfast · 03/10/2012 09:26

can i ask about my root canal , done aobut 18 years ago, caused me much much trauma! now i apparently have fractured it, i thought it was the filling next to it, but it was x rayed as proof and i am going to ahve it removed. is this correct? so i will have a gap?
i dont pay for dental treatment. if that makes a idfference.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 03/10/2012 09:27

The success rate is.not that low Zelda, you ubercynic you. That's not a very tactful thing to say to OP is it?

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 03/10/2012 09:29

Sounds pretty right to me slarty

slartybartfast · 03/10/2012 09:29

thanks.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 03/10/2012 09:30

If people were just in it for the money then they wouldn't be NHS dentists tbh.

fanjoforthemammaries7850 · 03/10/2012 09:33

That was mainly.addressed to zelda

zeldapinwheel · 03/10/2012 12:51

Speaking as someone who works for a pct processing NHS claims is incredible the amount of bite shields that are now being made. I'm not necessarily blaming the dentists but the current banding system is unfair, for example if a person needs 1 filling they pay 47 pound, if a person needs 10 fillings they pay 47 pounds. Therefore those that need a little are subsidizing those that need a lot. As for the root filling, as someone who has access to data showing how many teeth that have been extrated were previously rootfilled within the past 2 years I'm not confident of the NHS success rate!

Original poster
BoyMeetsWorld · 03/10/2012 13:33
Sad
OP posts:
paddingtonbear1 · 03/10/2012 14:17

My first root canal was done by a private dentist. It wasn't done properly, (and cost ££) but an NHS dentist managed to fix it (I moved house). The second one was done by a different NHS dentist. 10 years later, I had them both fixed by my current (private) dentist. I'm amazed I've still got both teeth tbh!

zeldapinwheel · 03/10/2012 14:22

Also, of course NHS dentists are in it for the money, unless they are salaried by the pct. They have to be, its a business at the end of the day and unless the're making a profit they won't be in business for long.

Sorry op, don't mean to disparage you, maybe I'm just sceptical because I get to see and deal with the shitty side of dental practices.