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Did the dentist mess up?

L

lsm1066

Junior member
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
4
Location
Lincolnshire, UK
About 5 years ago, I bit the bullet (pardon the pun) and had a series of root canal treatments at the advice of my dentist. Quite apart from the cost of the hypnotherapy appointments to get me there in the first place, the treatments cost me a total of around £800 (this was a private dentist), but he assured me that he could save the teeth and that they would be fine thereafter.

In the last 3 years, all three of them have literally fallen apart. I can't bear the thought of going back to a dentist (we've moved since the treatments were done so it would have to be a different dentist), I know I've got infections in all 5 teeth and most likely those infections are down into the jaw. But I can't afford even a checkup and we're not entitled to benefits, being self-employed, so I can't get help there.

Sorry, I suppose I just needed to rant. But if anyone can tell me what happened, it would at least make me feel a bit better about it all.

Thanks for listening.
Lynne
 
Hi ISM,

Sorry that happened.

Teeth with root canals can become very dry and brittle and then shatter, its recommended they have a crown and sometimes a post for longevity, especially since most had a fairly big cavity in the first place. I've lost quite a few teeth that crumbled like this before crowning was the standard. Headed down the implant road now to replace them. Maybe some can be saved for you with a "post and core build up" and crown, you'd be surprised how a broken tooth can be rebuilt and saved. Although it's more money, in the long run it will protect your initial investmment and save you lots of grief and money later.

rp
 
Last edited:
If you were not recommended to get crowns after the root canals, then you would likely have a case against him regardless of the quality of the actual root canals done.
Since it was a private dentist if you are in the UK, you may want to contact the Dental Complaints Service for help.
 
sounds like he did mess up as root canal treated teeth should definitely usually last longer than that (when properly restored). however, i think proving he messed up or getting him to admit to any error could be very tricky indeed given that it was three years ago now...
 
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