How to ease rootcanal infection pain whilst waiting for treatment ?

Hi there,

This is my first post on this forum ,and I will try to make a long story short.

When abroad on holiday, one crown broke,and I could not see any emergency dentist in the country that I was in or the country that I was going to. I managed to get some of that dental cement paste that you can get in chemist to help protect the tooth in the meantime.

10 days later I arrived back in London, and got to see a dentist. Turns out that I had 2 inflamed root canals, and I was told that I had two options.
1- Get the teeth extracted ( NO WAY as I am only 43,and I cannot walk around with a big gap as these two teeth are next to eachother. Especially not when my work will soon involve public speaking
2 - Get re-treatment on these two root canals.

I was told that I cannot get that treatment done on the NHS, and that I have to go private (so expensive I almost felt sick when I heard the price) , but that I can get the crowns done on the NHS.
However, I am STILL waiting for that private appointment a month later, and it's starting to do my head in!
I have to use that dental cement to protect my tooth (the crown, that I was told was permanent, was in fact a temporary one ! No wonder it broke)

And over the last few days,I have started to get this on/off niggling pain. No swelling YET (touch wood) , but this can't be good. I really need to get seen ASAP, and just sent an email to my dentist,asking them to chase this up, and I have contacted some specialist directly myself as I can't deal with this for much longer. It's so draining. And I cannot believe how long it actually takes to get seen !

Apart from using salt water and mouth wash to gargle with,and anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen etc...what can you recommend to ease any pain when it occurs ? Does things like Bonjela help at all ? I just need some tips on how to get by until I finally do get to see that specialist !

Thank you !

I am unsure Bonjela would work as it did not help me when I was having problems with my tooth (my root canal of 10 years gave me two reccourding infections which has been treated by root canal I had the option of having it taken out, it helped with a mouth ucler I had, you mention you have to done privately cannot you see another NHS dentist. I am not a dentist but sounds like you need it treated the problem.

Well, I would have gone with the NHS had I been able to . But they no longer accept patients for root canal re-treatments due to a cut in the budget . I even rang the NHS helpline to confirm this as I thought the dentist might have been trying to make a quick buck by referring me .
But no , the only option to save your tooth is to go private.

I am so sorry to hear you are suffering like this. The short answer is to take OTC painkillers for the pain and maybe also antibiotics from the referring NHS dentist. He should also be willing to open your tooth up to relieve pressure a bit while you are waiting surely?

I would suggest the following:
1. Return to referring NHS dentist to query the exact status of the private referral - who have you been referred to? Name, address, telephone number, email. Ask him to chase urgently or chase them yourself/agree to take a cancellation etc etc

2. What evidence do you have that they have actually done anything at all? Do you have an actual appt for a month's time or are you still waiting to hear? Will the first appt just be a consult?

3. Consider seeing a local private dentist as an emergency (they may be able to get your tooth comfortable/prescribe antibiotics etc) and asking them to refer you to a good endodontist say one they would use for themselves.

4. Find a permanent new private practice (better yet one that has an in-house endodontist - such places exist in London) so that you can get better prompter more high-tech treatment in future.

5. Read this:


it explains why NHS root canals especially for molar teeth are not such a good idea anyway as NHS dentists rarely have the time to devote to doing them properly nor equipment (microscope) - you mentioned a retreat - this could be because the first NHS root canal was done imperfectly. Retreats are best done by an endodontist but a decent general dentist could probably do some pain-relieving work in advance should you have to wait for the appointment.
I personally use a private dentist so I can get immediate high quality treatment from someone I like and trust (some general dentists have extra training in endodontics/equipment like loupes/microscopes), so again where are you being referred and why is it taking so long? Endodontics is time critical since who is going to wait indefinitely in pain and pay a lot for the procedure, when extraction is a quick way out?.

Thank you so much for your reply , and for all the information you have provided. I truly appreciate it !

It was a private referral ( the dentist said that this particular treatment is not available on the NHS anymore due to budget cuts )
I have emailed my dentist ,asking for details of which specialist they have referred me to , but I have also made my own enquiries after receiving some very useful information here as I understand that time is of the essence here. I can't afford to wait much longer . Will ask my dentist if she can prescribe some antibiotics in the meantime too .

So , am having to make a choice.
I made an appointment with a specialist warmly recommended here, and he can do both my root canals in one setting - fantastic !
The only problem is that the first available appointment is a couple of weeks away.

The surgery that my dentist referred me to got back to me today.
Their first available appointment is i a couple of days - great !
The only problem is that they say I need 3 appointments to do these root canals, and as someone who is self employed, I really cannot take time off for 3 appointments plus time off to get my crowns done at my usual dentist (NHS) . Financially I would loose too much money, and it would create lots of hassle for my clients (I run a childcare setting, most my clients are working for the NHS and can't find cover easily)

Both specialists charge the same price, so I may just have to put up with this on/off pain for a further 2 weeks - use salt water to gargle with, try the oil of oregano and other home remedies, and also see if I can get antibiotics in the meantime.
It just makes more sense getting everything done in one sitting instead of having to go back again and again.

Is there a dental hospital near you or near enough for you to travel to. I am an nhs patient and my dentist referred me to a dental hospital for my re-treatment doing of a rct'd tooth.

Also I found holding a cool pad on my cheek helped.

Achey said:

It just makes more sense getting everything done in one sitting instead of having to go back again and again.

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I have sent you a pm to ensure you are comparing like with like as I have never had a one sitting rct. I think it happens in USA though. Do let us know how it goes.

Thinking about it one sitting may be more appropriate for a retreat as the nerve has in theory already been removed.

Having looked at his website I think you will be sent away with the gutta percha in with a temporary filling on top so your dentist can then restore it...that happens a lot in USA. Ask his advice about whether a full crown is needed or whether an inlay or onlay would be more conservative.

Update,

I was incredibly impressed with the endodontist. The procedure was painless, and he had a very friendly and warm manner .

Unfortunately he could only do one root canal as the other tooth could not be saved as the decay under the crown was too bad .
I now have to have that tooth extracted ?, and have an implant ???. I am going to speak to my usual dentist about this ,but also explore my options (as in shopping around as my own dentist charge more than many other clinics I have seen for implants . Will start a new thread on that , I think !

This is awesome Achey, I'm so glad he was very friendly and pleasant and painfree!! Hope you get a good price on the implants!!

Achey said:

Update,

I was incredibly impressed with the endodontist. The procedure was painless, and he had a very friendly and warm manner .

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Pleased to hear that - shame about the other tooth.

Achey said:

as my own dentist charge more than many other clinics I have seen for implants . Will start a new thread on that , I think !

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It is worth paying slightly more to get someone with a lot of experience in doing implants, maybe even cone beam x-ray machines, as the result is much more predictable and comfortable. I replied in your other thread about the timings.