Do I have to lose this tooth?

[WhatsGoingOnEh]

My NHS dentist says I have to have a tooth pulled out. It's a very visible tooth - just next to my canine. Do I have any other options? Can I get a second opinion? Can I save the tooth?

The reason this is happening is I found a painless lump on my gum. It's just above a crown, which I got after a root canal about 3 years ago. The dentist took x-rays and said I have an abscess there, and that the only way to cure it is to have the whole thing taken out.

She wants me to go back in next week. In the meantime she gave me antibiotics (which I had to ask for, she didn't suggest them) - a 7-day course of 250mg Amoxicillin.

I finish the antibiotics tomorrow. The lump is still there. I have started to get a very bitter taste in my mouth occasionally which I've read might be the abscess draining..? I've been doing warm saltwater rinses too.

I'm getting married in June and REALLY don't want to have a huge gap in my mouth! She said the extraction could wait till after then. Is that safe?

Should I go and see another dentist for a second opinion? I don't like how extraction is the first course of action for a crown/tooth that has been fine for 3 years.

Also, if I go to another dentist (private?) for a second opinion, how much might it cost?

I don't wabt to sound like I hate my dentist! I've always thought she was great but I really, really don't want to lose a front tooth!

Can they clean out the abscess from the gum, without taking out the crown?

I have an NHS dentist and I'm not sure about the treatment plan which also involves having a tooth removed. I'm going to a private dentist for a second opinion and they are charging £95 for that half hour. Depending on what they say, I'll decide what to do next.

For info, the private dentist is my son's NHS dentist hence me seeking his opinion as he has been great with my son.

Thanks, that's very helpful! I think £95 is worth it for the information. I'll try to find a recommended dentist nearby. I dread to think wgat they'd charge for treatment though... Gulp..

WhatsGoingOnEh Mon 02-Mar-15 19:54:47
Can they clean out the abscess from the gum, without taking out the crown?

No.

The treatment you need (re-root canal treatment if you want to keep the tooth) is specialised and not available on the NHS as the NHS don't commission any specialists in this. You can get it done privately, about £6-£800 I reckon. Or an extraction and up to £1500 for an implant.

The most efficient way of fixing it is having an extraction. Nothing will happen quickly except the pus from the chronic infection draining into your mouth constantly, a bit of bone loss maybe but nothing earth shattering.

Speak to a root canal specialist - one has saved several of my teeth that the normal dentist would have extracted.

Where are you located - maybe someone can give a recommendation?

Thank you! I'm located in Berkshire, near Reading, if anyone knows anyone near here?

Do I need to see an Endodontist? Can I ask my dentist for a referral?

I spent a long time trying to save a root canal tooth. The dentist had to keep repeating the root canal treatment, I got infections every couple of months, and in the end the tooth became so weak and wobbly I had it pulled before it fell out. It was depressing, the treatment probably cost me the best part of 1.5k and in the end I lost the tooth. I now have a bridge (another 1k), and you honestly wouldn't know it wasn't my own tooth. You won't be toothless but there are a couple of months whichever route you choose (implant or bridge) when you have to have a temporary denture. If you aren't happy with your dentist I'd get a second opinion, but in my case I wish I'd stopped trying to save it earlier and put the money towards an implant.

Thanks, ABC. Sorry you went through all that. Why did you have a bridge and not an implant? Money?

Sorry for the very bold phrasing of that question!!! I mean, was a bridge significantly cheaper than an implant?

Don't worry! After so much treatment I had taken out dental insurance and that covered bridges but not implants. The implant (London private dentist) was 3k, as opposed to just over 1 for the bridge. I may still get an implant further down the line, but tbh the bridge is fine. Main drawback according to dentist is that bridges can mess up the healthy surrounding teeth and do have a lifespan.

I have the painless lump thing and have tried to ignore it for a few years. I was advised to think about root canal treatment or extraction. After a recent x-Ray I was informed that the root canal may not work and it would be easier to extract it. Which is what I'm going for.

Why don't you leave it till after your wedding then find out about an implant? Or have it taken out and see how you feel then. The gap might not be as noticeable as you think.

I lost a premolar last year due to fracturing the tooth very badly so no choice at all. I am mid implant treatment which takes many months so not a quick fix at all. However,just wanted to reassure you that I have a temporary single denture which is absolutely impossible to see when in place and has been just fine.nsonif the tooth needs to come out this is an option whilst you decide or save. The implant is costing £2k plus £500 for the denture ( did seem excessively expensive but glad I had it).

I'm not mad on the sight of it in it's wee pot overnight but as an interim measure it's been fab. Obviously take the advice of your dentist but I'm glad I dint spend a fortune on futile treatment first.