To wonder what the hell I do about my tooth?

[MyFaceHurts]

I had toothache back in June, horrible, deep nerve pain. Went to the dentist, saw a guy I hadn’t seen before. He x rayed the tooth and said I needed root canal. He made a start that day (1.5 hours), as this was on a Friday and he didn’t want to leave me in pain over the weekend. It was fucking agony while he removed as much as he could of the nerve. He then put a temporary filling in and made another appointment for me on the Monday. All good over the weekend, pain had gone.

Went back on Monday thinking it wouldn’t be so bad as I believed the nerve was now gone. I was wrong, it was another 1.5 hours just as bad as before. Finally after a lot of drilling he’d managed to fill the canals and took an x ray to make sure everything was ok.

It wasn’t ok. Somehow he’d managed to put the filling (long two pronged thing that was supposed to go into the canals) INTO MY GUM. I couldn’t quite believe it. He was very flustered and kept apologising and said that he’d have to remove it, and I’d have to come back another time. Basically I was back to where I started before that appointment except now presumably with added damage to my gums.

Unfortunately I was going away the next day for a couple of weeks. I got home from the dentist and had a think and then phoned and explained what happened, and asked if it was possible to see the other dentist next time, as after 3 hours of agony culminating in having a filling put in my gum, I was a bit scared. They said I could but he’s very booked up and I can’t go until the 29th july.

Problem is the temporary filling has come out this weekend and now I’m in a lot of pain. I know I can hopefully get an emergency appointment on Monday but that’s far away when you’re in this much pain.

I know there is definitely still some nerve left In one of the tooth canals, which is why the pain is so bad. I’m taking painkillers, but I’m still in pain and my tooth is pulsating the whole time.

How the hell am I going to get through to Monday? Bearing in mind it’s nerve rather than cavity pain. Any tips or suggestions?

I am a dental nurse and that is a root canal file he has been drilling into your gum, rather than into your tooth to remove the nerve! I have no idea how he didn't realise he was drilling into your gum!! I would be making a complaint, this is not ok at all. Was it nhs or private? Do not pay him! You can call 111 throughout the week so they can get you an emergency appointment, tell them what has happened and that you refuse to go back to the practice. Paracetamol and ibruprofen and warm salty mouthrinses for the pain. Good luck x

Try Difflam mouth spray (or it comes as a mouth wash). It will numb your whole mouth. You can buy it OTC.

The dentist has basically perforated your tooth. Ultimately any root filling going forward will be substandard as bacteria will get through the perforation over time. This could lead to an extraction when you could have saved the tooth had it been root filled correctly. It depends if he consented you to this - did he discuss risks with you? If he didn’t then yes as others have said, its poor practice and you could claim compensation.

Ibuprofen is the best for this type of pain. It’s anti inflammatory which is what you would need for a hot tooth. Not everyone can tolerate ibuprofen though so otherwise cold compress (not hot - draws blood to area) and you can try and sit slightly upright at night. You may find lying down worsens symptoms - this is because of the build up of pressure.

i suggest contacting them tomorrow and asking to speak with someone about this perforation. See what they have to say and don’t let them fob you off with they’re busy. Its their mistake to fix.

@MangoMayoMacaroni no he didn’t discuss risks except to say that they are not always successful - once the root canal was completed it would be a case of waiting to see if it settled before doing the crown. I guess at that point I didn’t have much choice as toothache I had was agony. I’m guessing the perforation happened on the second appointment when he drilled into my gum.

It’s done now and yes there’s a good chance he’s buggered up my tooth, but I suppose any claim for compensation or anything would have to come if/when I’ve given the other dentist the chance to try and save it and it doesn’t work. The other dentist is hopeful that he can still do a successful root canal and I’m holding onto that hope at the moment as that would be the best outcome.

And pain wise I’m all good now, it was awful over the weekend but eased off yesterday and today. Hopefully now I’m on the antibiotics the infection will go and the pain will stay away.

OH had the same tooth same root canal followed by infection. He's now been referred to another dentist for two implants rather than a bridge. Those teeth are beasts

If a root filling is done perfectly, there is still always a risk (about 30%) that the tooth will flare up again. Perforation increased that risk.

The dental practice should put right the mistake thats happened but you can still claim compensation directly as a result of the perforation (assuming he didn’t discuss risk of perforation with you before treatment started) as you weren’t informed of this risk, therefore could not give informed consent to treatment.

Of course treating the tooth would be better than losing it, but at least compensation would cover the expenses of filling the gap (with bridge/implant or something else) should the tooth need removing later down the line.

@MangoMayoMacaroni that’s helpful to know, thank you.

And no he definitely never mentioned the risk of perforation. I had no idea what perforation was or that my tooth had it until I started this thread.

It doesn't matter how nice he is , what he did was wrong and you are right to complain. He will have medical insurance,he won't be selling his granny to pay for compensation (which you might well need further down the line to fix your tooth ) and I doubt very much he'll lose his job.

So had the root canal yesterday. All seemed to go ok, although I noticed as soon as he took the temporary filling out and started work that there was a rancid smell. I thought at the time that doesn’t smell right, and that maybe there was still infection. He was pleased at the end when he x rayed again with how it looked and said I might be in some pain after the anaesthetic wore off and probably best to take some painkillers for the rest of the day/that night.

It was bloody painful this morning and when I looked in the mirror I looked like a hamster who had had a stroke (see photo). Name changed so don’t mind outing myself here. It’s really sore. I phoned dentist and the good one is away until Tuesday and I didn’t want to see the shit one, so they gave me a prescription for 2 different sorts of antibiotics. I asked the nurses at reception if it’s normal for my face to look like this and they kind of evaded the question and just said it’s not uncommon to need antibiotics after a root canal. This isn’t right though is it? I’m in quite a lot of pain. Booked in to see the good dentist on Tuesday when he’s back.

They told me it wasn't uncommon to need antibiotics afterwards either. I'm having mine crowned tomorrow,nit looking forward to it. I hope you feel better with the antibiotics.

That's a bad abscess! Now that it's sealed over though a course of antibiotics might clear it and then hopefully it's sealed from reinfection

I know you want to keep the tooth but honestly, I think you'd be a lot better off getting fit out. Sometimes they just can't be saved, and from what you've said I'm not sure I'd trust anyone in the practice!

A cold flannel on your cheek will help to bring the swelling down. I was told that if it reached my eye, then I needed to head to A&E for iv antibiotics so keep a close watch on it!)

The swelling may just be inflammation. Take plenty of ibuprofen and apply cold pack to try and reduce it.
I had a look at your original X-ray and the first dentist well and truest ballsed up ( it does happen) but he immediately informed you and removed the filling.
It will settle down. Once the canal is cleaned and sealed the bacteria in your mouth can’t reinfect it, however the ones that had already invaded may take a couple of days to die off so still cause problems.
If the swelling starts to close your eye or you start to develop cellulitis ( red streaks going from the area down onto your chest or up the face) go to A&E.

Oh and it wasn’t a perforation. The first dentist managed to find their way under the existing filling. This should heal. The actual root filling will have a reasonable chance of success. The bone that was filed will heal.

Was the extruded root filling removed from beyond the perforation OP?
Your's is a bit of an unusual case OP so no wonder the dental nurses were cagey as to whether your current swelling is to be expected.
Frozen peas wrapped in a thin tea towel applied frequently to that swelling throughout the day-for no longer than 2 mins at a time. Take the antibiotics religiously. Do warm salt water mouth baths-1 tsp salt dissolved in a cup of cooled but warm boiled water. Hold around the affected area as long as possible. Regular pain relief -paracetamol alternated with ibuprofen at 3.5 hours if your medical history with ibuprofen permits. You need to sleep semi upright as much as possible-so add a pillow tonight.
See how it goes, but if no better Tuesday, resign yourself to an extraction.

Also anyone who claims that root canal should be done in one visit is incorrect. The aim is to disinfect the canal so the initial visit is to open and clean the canal then dress it with bacteriocidal paste for at least six weeks. Then if the canal is clean ( ie it doesn’t smell) it can be completed. The only time I would consider a single visit is if we are removing a live, healthy nerve which has no sign of infection. This is usually only done if the tooth has been broken and the nerve exposed ( even then if it’s several hours after exposure we may consider a dressing because there has been time for bacteria to get in).
Some dentists like to short cut but frequently end up with the patient returning with swelling and pain.

Are you a DCP? It most definitely is a perforation. I’m not sure how you could justify it wasn’t? You still need to consent the patient to the risks before treatment, whether the dentist did tell the patient immediately after the mistake or not!

OP, As others have said - swelling like that isn’t uncommon but i would expect it to improve, not worsen. If it gets bigger and spreads to your eye/neck or makes it hard to swallow then definitely call 111 or visit A&E.

@Underscore21 as far as I’m aware the filling in my gum came out the same way that it went in.

Really hope the antibiotics kick in soon, I feel rotten.

OP you probably won’t get any compensation. Nobody on this forum has seen the radiograph that the dentist used to diagnose that you needed root canal. If that radiograph shows the tooth to be as heavily filled as the ones you’ve shown then it may be argued that the tooth was unrestorable (I certainly would say it’s uncrownable) whether the dentist made a mistake or not.

Passed out a few hours ago and just woken up and both of my eyes are gunky. My right eye is difficult to open (same side as bad tooth). My left eye feels like it has a stye in it. Do I need to phone 111?

I've had root canal on 2 teeth completely painless both times. Did they not numb you or something?!

@MyFaceHurts please call 111, the eye infection might be unrelated but it’s best not to take any further risks. All the best

I phoned 111 and as soon as I mentioned my eyes they told me to go to A&E, so that’s where I am now.

@SherbertLemonDrop The crap dentist did numb me but I don’t think he did it in the right place. When I saw the good dentist on Thursday he did one injection on the front of my gum and one on the underside of my gum - he warned me before he did it and said that that one wouldn’t be very nice. Sure enough it wasn’t very comfortable. But I didn’t feel anything during the treatment. The crap dentist definitely didn’t do that one, I’d have remembered!