Should I go back to the dentist?

[Mavan1984]

Hi everyone,

At the beginning of March I visited the dentist and had a filling done on one of my molars. Since then the tooth has been very sensitive and its been difficult to eat on it. I left it because I thought it would settle after a couple of weeks.

During the Easter weekend, I was in absolute agony with the tooth. It was throbbing and I had to take co-codamol to relive the pain.

On Tuesday this week (after the BH weekend), I called the dentist and was given a same day emergency appointment.

Whilst at my appointment the dentist said he thought the bite on my filling had been left too high and so he filed it down. He said the pain would settle in a few days but if it continued then I would have to go back as the tooth nerve may have been irreparably damaged and I would need root canal.

I know it's only been 2 days since I went to the dentist but I am still in pain and the thought of spending another weekend in pain is really making me anxious. Should I wait to see if the pain settles by Monday or would I be better going in again tomorrow for another emergency appointment? At this point I'm thinking that I'm probably going to need a root canal.

When I saw the dentist on Tuesday I had to pay £26 for an emergency appointment- should I have paid this as the filling had been done incorrectly in the first place? If I book another emergency appointment in the morning I will have to pay again and tbh I can't afford it.

Please can anyone advise on the best course of action? I just want to be pain free and don't want to spend another weekend feeling miserable.

Thanks.

Unfortunately I think you probably are going to need a root canal.

I don't think your filling was done "incorrectly". It's common to have to adjust the height of the filling once the numbing agent has worn off. A little filing down and you're usually good to go.

But this type of persistent pain probably means that repairing the cavity exposed the nerve and will require a root canal.

Good luck, hope you can get an appointment asap. Toothaches are miserable!

I thought, unless the rules have changed recently, that if you went back within 2 months then there should be no charge.

No emergency treatment is a stand alone charge. You have to pay it each time you have an emergency appointment.

The continuation rule only applies if it is not an emergency appointment , is a treatment in the same charge band , is not as a result of an accident and is done by exactly the same dentist , even if it is the same practice dentists are independent within the practice.