Abcess

[PerkyOchrePeer]

I started a thread but nobody replied so im doing another one.

I have an infected tooth. Im on antibiotics and need root canal. The problem is im on a waiting list to get it done because my dentist cant do it and it needs an endodontist. It has infected twice and ive been told the wait for an endodontist is a few months on the NHS. If i go private it will be 140k but it will be done next week

What should i do

Surely as a patient it is my right to know how far in the waiting list I am especially as I've got a cavity in the tooth which needs root canal and the longer this goes on the worst it's going to get because cavities don't heal themselves they only get worse and my dentist wants to do a temporary patch up job to the two to tid me over and when I spoke to a private dentist she said he shouldn't be doing that because it might have an impact on what we might do assuming that I go to them for the treatment

@😫

It’s a waiting game , the discomfort is manageable, unlike the pain of an infected tooth . I can use it for very soft food , like say a banana. They are going to review it in 5 months time unless it deteriorates before then , no point having the crown done until it’s stable , which may or may not occur .

If it's a back tooth I would have it taken out. It won't be noticeable and will be the cheapest option.

It might be difficult to chew food with the tooth missing because as you bite down the top tooth will have nothing at the bottom to bite down onto and surely it's up to the dentist decide what happens and if it can be canaled

Bumping up this thread. In on day 4 of anitbiotics and the throbbing has subsided a bit and i only take painkillers first thi g in the morning. I usually wake up with a headache dye to the tooth. The painkillers work well and i have no discomfort all day until about 8 or 9pm when it comes back and i get throbbing but not nearly as bad as on the first day.

I thought by now the throbbing would be gone and there is slight tenderness under the jaw bone. Ive booked an emergency dental appointment for monday morning to see another dentist at my surgery because i want an xray which my own dentist didnt give me and i have a few queries to put to this dentist. Years ago i had an abcess which was drained. I asked if this cod be drained and my dentist said no.i thought draini g was standard practice but years ago i was in agony screaming so maybe thats why. Im not in agony now and the pain is mild but im on a waiting list for treatment and am concerned this will get really nasty.

Hi, I am in a similar position OP. Started with horrendous toothache 10 days ago. Extreme pain shooting up side of my face whenever I ate or drank anything hot and just general overall pain in my upper jaw. Was given a course of antibiotics that made me feel very woozy all week. However the pain did subside. I was told they couldn't work out which tooth was causing the problem and I would have to wait until it came back and was more localised (!!)

Roll on this week and it seems like the culprit is my L6 - molar next to the incisor on the bottom. There is clear discomfort when i press the gum next to the tooth and if I press down on the tooth, the dentist said they can now see that I have an abcess - have been given another course of different antibiotics and an appointment made for root canal but that has to be private and will cost £900 inc. consultation and will be done in one appointment??

I asked about root canal vs extract/implant. It it was a back tooth I would just get it extracted but I can't as it's the next one to the incisor and will leave a gap where I need to bite. An implant will be £2.5K. The dentist said that neither solution is foolproof and both have their chances of success/failure. Her take on it was if you have tooth removed and the implant fails you're left with nothing. If you go for root canal first - you will hopefully get a few years then if it does go awry have the option of removing the tooth/implant. The tooth itself isn't in perfect shape so it's a risk.

I am absolutely petrified of both options TBH! My dentist of 40+ years recently retired and this is the first time anyone else has done anything with my teeth.

Like you I can't get my head around why antibiotics doesn't just kill the infection and removing the need for root canal/extraction. Although I'm from the drill happy dentist of the 70s and my teeth are full of deep silver fillings!!!

Sorry to share my saga OP I was going to start a new thread but jumped on yours X

Root canal is not horrible I've had two done and they don't hurt

You don’t need another X-ray. You have had an X-ray which has diagnosed that the tooth has an infection. A further X-ray would be of no further value. The anatomy of the tooth won’t have changed. The fact that you need either the tooth out or root canal won’t have changed. Your options are still the same, either wait to see the NHS specialist or go private. With both options there is no guarantee of success and you are currently not the patient of the NHS specialist so no you have no right to know where you are in the waiting list

Root canals are not guaranteed I would have it out if it is a back tooth I suffered with a botched root canal over lockdown couldn’t wait to get the tooth out. I have an implant now.

If you don’t have 1k now for private root canal pay £150 for removal or suffer for the next two months in pain til you can be seen.

Many private dentists do finance now so that is an option too.

They are horrible if they don’t work! Believe me it is horrendous.

I must have been very lucky then because my first root canal was done 5 years ago and I have never had any problems and my second one was done about a year ago and again no problems and I'm not sure quite what you mean about they don't work what happens

I know someone who has extremely good teeth very few fillings and the only apps that she has ever had was when she was 16 and she's now in her 60s and she said to me prevention is better than cure and she said if you look after your teeth and floss and don't eat the wrong foods your teeth will not Decay and they will stay in tip top condition. She goes every 6 months for a checkup in each time she goes she has nothing done the last time she had ing was 7 years ago a