Failed root canal treatment - what next?!

[Alidoll]

Dentist suggested I get a crown fitted on a tooth that had a large filling as she felt that the tooth would shatter "at some point" (I had no pain or discomfort from the tooth). She took an X-ray and said the tooth would need root canal treatment then a crown which she recommended.

So yesterday I went in for the first appt...after 25 minutes she stopped and asked me to rinse then said "I can't do the treatment - I need to refer you to a specialist"

English is not her first language so had difficulty understanding what had happened but basically the root canal treatment has failed. She said the referral was free but that waiting for an NHS treatment plan would likely take 6 months and result in the loss of the tooth.

I've looked online (Google is a scary place at times lol!) and from what I can tell, root canal fails if the tooth is cracked longitudinally or there is a perforation along the root canal meaning the tip of the root cannot be removed which can lead to infection.

A cracked tooth is usually a death sentence for the tooth if it's down the root so removal is recommended. If it's the perforation then there is a procedure that can be done but it looks horrific (lifting a flap of skin back from the gum and exposing the tooth by drilling into the jaw bone and removing the root tip then sealing). This isn't cheap either - prices starting from £950!!

I'm now waiting for a "phone call or letter" to speak to the specialist and am terrified. If it fails then a dental implant is required which costs in excess of £2500. While I'd struggle to pay the £1000 it's do-able but £2500 plus isn't an option.

Has anyone had a failed root canal and what options were given (and costs). Is it worth having it done?

I hate dentists at the best of times and now the tooth is hurting (it was fine before she started drilling). Most of the nerve has been removed so I'm guessing it'll turn black soon anyway so how long should I wait for them to get back to me? A day or so...week?

I asked if I needed to make an appt with her again and she said no, not till I'd spoken to the specialist but didn't know when that would be!?

So feel I'm caught between a rock and a hard place..

Which tooth is it? And is it noticable? I have had a failed root canal, it was a top tooth at the side, i ended up having it extracted, the gap is noticable if i smile properly but it doesnt really bother me, by the time i had it out, i had been in pain for 3 months so i am just glad to be painfree!

When i had the root canal done as soon as the numbnes wore off i knew that something wasnt right, i had awful sharp shooting pain when my teeth touched together. It did get more tolerable after a week but never settled down. I was given 4 courses of antibiotics in case of infection but in the end i asked the dentist to extract it and he agreed. The tooth totally crumbled when he took it out, it must have fractured i suppose. I was only charged band 2 treatment in the end

So i guess the question is, could you live with a gap if it cant be saved or go down the implant route? You dont have to have the implant, maybe even a plate with a single false tooth on? I was offered this but declined ,it would just be for cosmetic reasons, i can eat fine with just one gap

I recently had this
Failed filling
Failed root canal
Tooth cracked
I put up with the pain for months then the dentist finally X rayed it again and it showed 2 abcesses
I had to have try tooth out
Sorry but I think that's inevitable when you have a failed root canal due to cracked tooth

It all depends on where the tooth is, surely? If it's in an inconspicuous spot, get it taken out and live with the gap. I had a gap for many years before I finally went back to get an implant. It sounds as though that tooth is a lost cause. I'm not sure that heroic efforts to save a tooth are really all that worth it, as you usually end up having to admit defeat in the end!

It's the first bicuspid so would be noticeable if I smiled. I had a back molar removed on the same side about 15 years ago when the dentist didn't clean out the tooth properly and it became severely infected (I went back 2 times and was told it would settle down - had to go for emergency treatment as was in agony and hospital said the dentist had been incompetent for failing to see the infection!). So, you can imagine dentists aren't my favourite people but do go for a check up every 6 months.

If it was at the back I wouldn't be bothered but I'm 45 and would rather not have a gap but can't afford an implant so would need to be a cheaper alternative. Would a Maryland Bridge be suitable if the tooth was removed?

In pain at the moment and not sure if it's just from yesterday's root probing or something more sinister.

So much for her saying I'd get a referral quickly. Been 2 weeks now and still waiting for a letter or phone call so can't be that urgent. Now the temp filling she shoved in is starting to disintegrate so going to have to make some sort of appt to replace that (at the very least). Can't say I'm happy at the moment as feel she's fobbed me off after making a mistake and not doing the root canal properly.

Your option would be Apicoectomy.

And yes she has fobbed you off! Hopefully you will get seen rather quickly

I've got one now and an abscess
I will be having a bridge. Is that an option
Cost £233 I think

Alidoll I'm 46 and in exactly the same situation.

My NHS dentist told me that he wouldn't be able to give me a crown as it was too complicated and needed to be done privately.

I've made an appointment with my parents' private dentist for next week.

Like you I would happily have it taken out if it wasn't so visible......

As Pam Ayres once said, " I wish I'd looked after me teef".