HELP PLEASE

[LouXx12]

Routine dental check up in feb said i needed a filling, booked in for the filling but couldnt fit me in for 3 months so by the time my appointment came round i was having pain with the tooth,so had a filling a week ago, at the time the dentist said if the pain doesn't go after I have had the filling i may need root canal, since the filling the pain is worse. I've just called the dentist and the receptionist is saying that I cant just make an appointment for root canal, I will need to book an emergency appointment and pay for that and then if the dentist says I need root canal then book in for that aswell, I asked if I need to pay again for treatment as its the same tooth and she said I will need to pay as my check up which found that I needed the filling was feb so its not within the 2 months rule of not having to pay again for the same tooth, so I will have to basically pay another 70 something for the root canal and an emergency appointment is this correct?

Go for your appointment to find out what your dentist thinks, mine has taken out a new filling and packed it temporarily to allow the nerves to settle before making a final decision. I ended up with another new filling and not a root canal.

Also the only person who could wave the fee is the dentist. Ask them about it at the appointment and they might, but be prepared to pay again.

Thank you, I will pay again if I have to, but as its only been a week since the filling and root canal is in the same band as a filling i dont think I should have to pay again really

The receptionist also said she could book me in for xrays but I will be charged for that, i said i had xrays in Feb which showed i needed a filling, she didn't know if I would need more to determine if I need root canal, so I didnt want to agree to book more xrays

Is your pain gone? Did you have to pay twice

Mine initially made me pay and then refunded me when the dentist pointed out I shouldn't have paid.

Is this an NHS appointment in a private practice by any chance? I've been an NHS patient for donkeys years at my practice. Always had great service. The owner retired and new owners came in. All of a sudden all appointments require another appointments, everything needs new xrays, appointments are very brief. It is blatantly clear they are aiming for maximum NHS fees for minimum work. Dentistry in the UK needs a complete rethink.

Yes the pain went once the nerves had been allowed to settle, this was ten years ago. I was very surprised he did it that way as he'd said that if the filling failed it would be a root canal. I do wonder if he packed it just to make sure there was no infection there before doing anything and the antiseptic (?) lotion on the material just soothed everything down.

There is only one time I have quibbled about being re-charged for a tooth and it was the dentist himself who waived it, not the practice manager who had wanted to charge again/agreed with receptionist.

I hope you manage to get it sorted, toothache can make you absolutely wretched

If you can bear it, give it longer to see if the pain settles. I had a deep filling a few months ago and was told I might need a root canal if the pain didn’t resolve. After the filling the pain was worse, and it took a good three weeks to go.

As they’re the ones who’ve delayed the treatment, I should think it will be easy enough to argue not paying for the check up ahead of any root canal.

After all this work is done, I’d suggest moving dental surgery to one that doesn’t leave you waiting months for a filling - that’s awful and there’s a good chance it’s lead to you needing more treatment.

This is what my dentist did too.

I think it was all one payment.

Thank you 😊

I'm taking tablets everyday, sometimes I only need them every 12 hours but other times it will wake me or I will be unable to sleep due to pain 😬 sometimes eating triggers it back off and cold/ hot things

They are saying i will need to pay again for the check up and then possibly the root canal aswell which is band 2 so another 70 something, when I have already previously paid band 2 for the original check up and filling. I will argue this when I do get an appointment, my previous dentist was nhs and then went private so I have recently moved to this new dentist which is private but takes nhs, there are no other nhs dentists taking on anyone in my area unfortunately

@LouXx12 how are you now? I had a deep filling (well, 2 parts of the same tooth) a week ago and I’m still in pain. Throbbing, causing a pain in the side of my face which reaches my eye, and very sensitive. I think it’s nerve pain. Did you go back? I really don’t want to! My dentist took almost 2 hours and I’m not convinced by his skills. The filling was actually a replacement to one he’d previously bodged last year. I don’t trust him to do a root canal and I really want to avoid that. The filling (discounted because of the previous bodge) was over £180 so I dread to think what further work would cost.

So i went back, and had xrays, the tooth that they filled is ok, the tooth next to the filled tooth had been taken out previously ( wisdom) well apparently there was still a bit of tooth in there and my gum was pushing it up and out and that is what was causing the pain, they have taken the bit of tooth out ( this was last tuesday) im still in pain and having to take tablets every day, also have a lump which has now formed under my tongue, they did say i could have pain for 7 to 10 days after. I think I'm going to have to go back again

I was quite lucky they didnt charge me even though the receptionist told me on the phone I would have to pay for an emergency appointment and any work, are you still in pain?

Oh crikey OP! At least you know the cause of the first pain.

also have a lump which has now formed under my tongue,
Do you think that might be infection draining to the lowest point? Hopefully it will heal soon