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?

@Deedoo

Because teeth can be saved by re-RCT.

An infection may be present on one root which could be resolved by treating the tooth again.

Equipment and files used during an RCT are expensive, especially if you want the best results. I have worked with specialist endodontists and they won't perform RCT unless they are satisfied the tooth is worth saving.

Despite what people may think, dentists are medical professionals and would be held accountable for falsely promising to save a tooth that had zero viability.

100% agree @OHEdentalnurse

I had RCT in May and I'm very glad I did. I went privately as my dentist said it would be best to get it done sooner rather than later.

the dentist assessed the tooth for viability in one appt, then did the RCT two weeks later, then 8 weeks later I had a crown fitted.

the RCT didn't take "hours". I timed mine and it took 42 mins from getting into the chair and him saying "you're done!". It was estimated to be 1 hour but he is a brilliant dentist who did my treatment.

my (normal) dentist is all about saving the tooth, not extracting, if possible as she says there's nothing that can substitute one's own teeth.

@blendedfamly did that filing tooth have a decay or cavity for them to propose root canal or was it painful prior xx

@Sarfar45 mine is the molar after pre molar at the top

It had an abscess literally started April 2020 so I had about a year of being given antibiotics on repeat. Then saw dentist was told 2 year wait or go private. It's one of my back upper teeth. Second to last. I considered extraction but the gap would have been visible when I smiled.

@Sarfar45 is it good for teeth to move or shift would they not loosen others x

@Deedoo it was horrifically painful. Antibiotics would help them it would return .

@OHEdentalnurse im guessing it depends on how much tooth there is left underneath. As I had a piece of tooth removed when I had initial root canal 15 years ago. Then dentist tells me I have decay under that crown she tries to clean the tooth removing my old crown and then I saw endo who said needs re doing as nerves were not filled to the top. But X-ray doesn’t show infection wondering if cbct scan would show infection in the root ? He did one on my suggestion £££ 😩😩😩

@OHEdentalnurse this was the X-ray of the previous root canal tooth when the dentist removed my old crown this is what I have underneath. Doesn’t seem like a lot of tooth is left 😩

Extraction is easy to cope with. I have had a pre molar removed but cannot afford an implant so I chew entirely on the right hand side now.

@Augustus40 was the extraction painful. X

My daughter had RC this year by an NHS Dentist. I think that they choose not to. I would check personally.

I have terrible teeth and in my 20s and 30s under NHS went through horrors with RCT that either failed or worked for a while. Back then the approach was always to try and save the tooth.

Now in my 40s using private dentists and they always say sod it, extract the tooth!

I've had 3 molars removed now and there are no problems in my mouth and I'm managing with the gaps perfectly fine.

@daisychain01 you did it with endodontics

@AlyssaHasAChaaaaild wow that’s good to know when I went to endo he was all about re root canal

You will end up having it extracted eventually. My crown lasted a couple of years and the extraction was worse than it would have been if they had done that in the first place.

Ring them regularly and ask about cancellations. My hospital dentist told me they get loads of cancellations and they prefer to fit people in whenever possible.

@AlyssaHasAChaaaaild are the gaps huge

The gaps are all big enough to fit my middle finger into, so yes pretty massive!

My first molar extraction was about 8 years ago and there has been no movement or change at all since then.

i had diazepam from my GP for the extraction op@QuebecBagnet

No. It’s had a filling, but no root canal. They said in the end it wouldn’t work so not to try. Also a wisdom tooth needs taking out. Definitely needs to be done in hospital not the dentists due to my blood clotting issue. Dentist said she didn’t want me bleeding to death in her dental surgery.

they’re doing nothing in the mean time. I can’t chew on one side of my mouth or brush my back, right, top teeth. They haven’t been brushed for two years so imagine they’re all probably rotten now.

Since starting this post ages ago I’ve been diagnosed with a condition unrelated to my teeth but which causes issues clotting and also means that local anaesthetic doesn’t work as well on me.

Which explains why in the past for fillings I’ve had three injections and still felt everything but then thirty mins after leaving the dentist my face is numb and I look like I’ve had a stroke, but while I’m having the procedure done I have no pain relief!

so it’ll be sedation or possibly GA. I have been ringing the hospital every fortnight. The maxfax secretaries are sick of me and keep telling me to ring the outpatient appt hotline but when I ring that it says there’s no one available to take my call and you can’t leave a message 🤷‍♀️

@QuebecBagnet so sorry to hear. I feel your pain dental pain is horrific. I have spent £££ with specialist and they still can’t tell me what tooth it is it’s frustrating

@QuebecBagnet can you ask your dentist to write to max fax?

Get it extracted then a bridge on nhs is about £350