Extraction on nhs or root canal treatment but nhs won’t do it

[QuebecBagnet]

I have a nhs dentist, an upper molar (just before wisdom tooth) is not in good shape. I had a deep filling but it hasn’t worked.

my dentist has said that root canal is possible but that the nhs won’t fund it. She could refer me (it needs a specialist dentist as it’s near my sinus so nobody at my dental practice can do it) but she says the referral will be declined as it’s not a necessary tooth. That the nhs will only fund an extraction.

she reckons the cost of rct will be about £800. I do think it’s a bit poor that what treatment is offered depends on what you can afford. I always thought you should try to save the tooth if possible as an extraction can cause issues down the line (bone decay? Tooth movement?). I would struggle to find £800 but at a push could do so. Is it worth it?

im also worried about extraction. Again my dentist can’t do it because of which tooth it is. Says it’s close to my sinus and I need an orthodontic specialist so will still need to be referred for extraction but at least it’s not £800. She says it’s worse than a wisdom tooth extraction.

dont know whether to spend my savings on a root canal?

I'd get the root canal but, if you can afford it, pay to go to an endodontist. It'll be expensive but they know what they are doing. They'll be quicker and it'll be less likely to fail.

Molar extractions can lead to sunken cheeks and an aged look.

It must also affect your eating on that side and people will be able to see it when you smile.

I had a root canal done privately on one of my back molars over a decade ago and it was painfree and has been every since. I forget it's even a root canal to e honest. I went to a BUPA specialist (referred to her by my private dentist) and it cost an eye-watering £1k (remember this was over a decade ago!) but it was worth it. My tooth is still going strong and I've never had any issues with it post-root canal.

It may not be fair but you tend to get what you pay for with these things.

I had an upper molar extraction last year.
Just to warn you, it is not an easy extraction - at least it was not for me.
The surgeon was excellent, but a lot of tugging required because the NHS dentist could not pull it in one go, so I was left with a failed extraction - the tooth broke and left raw nerve endings.
Hopefully, you are straight to the surgeon, and they will take it out in one go but aftercare is vital, and the wound left behind can be quite deep. Mine took a while to heal.
It will affect how much you can eat on that side, and it may feel strange and empty for months. Good luck with it.

I’ve had a rct on a different tooth before and it was fine so the actual procedure doesn’t bother me. More the £800 and the fact it might not work.

Why is everyone saying root canal is so painful?

because they felt it was 🤷🏼‍♀️
My 3 attempts weren’t painful as such but it certainly isn’t something I’d do again, especially as I lost the tooth anyway.

@Battlecat98 a private dentist can refer to the NHS for braces - mine told me that the waiting list is a couple of years however...

I've seen a lot of posts recently about NHS dentists not doing treatments and it shocks me because my dentist is the most gung-ho person I've ever met. I must've found a rare breed because he's done all sorts on my teeth even though I have a condition which makes them weak and fragile! I've had to have root canals in basically every single molar and he's always gone "it's tricky but doable". What are your chances of changing dentists? I had to go through five, three NHS and two private, before I found one who didn't want to just pull all my teeth out, but I'm glad I found him!

I know lots of people who have ended up with severe tooth pain following the root canal treatment and also with it not working.

Get an extraction.. the root canal was painful for me.. and to make matters worse mine failed as well.. I've now got a gap between my teeth but that doesn't bother me so much

@sniffypete thank you I didn't know that.

I had a bottom molar extraction, now the molar on top seems to be shifting down. Has anyone else had that sort of movement? I wonder if it’ll keep on moving. The dentist definitely leaned towards extraction over root canal.

I've had failed root canals a few times and one on that tooth. I had it pulled in the end and you can't see the gap when I smile. I'd be inclined to have it pulled.
I usually have implants put in but because you can't see it I haven't bothered. I don't miss it.

Thanks all, I’m definitely going to go for extraction. I’m hoping they agree to sedation.

@Whatafielddayfortheheat Did you have it removed

@QuebecBagnet did you go for extraction

I’m still waiting, nhs waiting lists are terrible. Two years I’ve been in pain now. So my dentist won’t do the extraction as I have a medical condition which means I’m more likely to bleed so it needs to be done in hospital. I was referred urgently months and months ago and not heard anything.

Speaking as an ex-dental nurse, root canal treatment on back teeth has high rates of failure.

Me and the dentist I used to work with would look at dental x-rays of back molars that needed either extraction or RCT and far more times than not he would opt for extraction because he said most back teeth with RCT need to be taken out anyway a few years down the line and so for practical and financial reasons it was better to just remove it.

I was in the same situation. Dentist had a massive back log due to covid so I ended up paying for a root canal privately. £700 it cost I was seen within two month and it was done over 4 appointments taking about 3 months in total. Had no issues since.

@QuebecBagnet omg that’s awful what are they doing in the meantime ? Was that tooth that’s causing pain previously root canalled

@NotNewButNameChanged2023 oh wow didn’t know this. Then why do endodontics want to re do them if they fail I don’t get it

@blendedfamly was it a first root canal or second on same tooth

@Deedoo there was a filing there prior to root canal but first root canal on that tooth. I had it done with bupa last year.

I don't have my wisdom teeth, so it's not quite the same tooth. I've just had the same treatment on it and it's been fine. On the Scottish NHS though, maybe the tooth made a difference but there was no argument about it. The dentist understood that I really didn't want to lose it.

I imagine there’s a financial motivation somewhere…… 😂

If it's at the back I would have it out. I had similar with a molar but a bit further towards the front. Everything shifted around afterwards and the gap has gone.