Is this normal!! Packing...

Hi

Discovered I needed a root canal in September. Made the fatal mistake of asking my dentist how long ago he qualified...oh, 6 months he said...that was enough to fill me with fear, which prior to this work, I didn't have.

Anyhow....initially he did a standard filling of a back molar, fine - but then the tooth still hurt, so he decided to pack it with antibiotics...fine, a week later, he went in to start to drill the roots but still infected, so he packed it again with antibiotics....then the same a week later....then a 2 week gap, today he fits a dental dam (worst thing ever in my life, worse than meds free childbirth!) and starts to drill the roots, oh dear, still hurts, four injections, still terrible pain, so filled it temporarily again, and has now filled it with something different and says that I can only leave this in for a week or it can alter my DNA?! - now I have to go back, he will repack it again and then I will have to go back a week later and he will try to do the root filling again and if that doesn't work, he will pull it out or refer me to a hospital to have it removed.

So, what I would be interested to know is - is this normal, to have so many appointments and so many temporary fillings and antibiotics in the tooth??

It just seems a very long winded thing and I have never had so much faffing about before. I have had a previous root filling. He has also said that if he manages to fill the roots - which will take 2 hour and a half long appointments, then it will take another 3 hour long appointments to do the crown??

Does this sound standard to you??

Thanks

Hi,

It sounds like you had many appointments for the RCT and that the treatment is not going very well for you. Can you ask for a different dentist?

Or can you ask for a referral to a specialist endodontist? Molar endodontics is not easy and it sounds as if your recently qualified dentist is out of his depth .

I didn't know how to answer this, but I agree with letsconnect, I have had two rct's over the last year both on badly infected teeth and I didn't have all this messing about.

I did have a dressing placed in the first one I had done, but after antibiotics and the bleach the dentist used I did get it completed in two treatments of about 45 minutes each.

The fact he used the dental dam was a good move as this does help the rct success and keeps the tooth dry and clean while it is being worked on. I know you don't like them but you stand a better chance of the rct working. Maybe he needs more time practising to gain your confidence.

Good luck

I've had lots of root canals, and I have NEVER gone through that. Usually when I have an active infection they give me a prescription for antibiotics. Unless they aren't doing a thorough job there shouldn't be all these problems. I would definitely get another dentists opinion. Most of the root canals I have had have taken between 30 minutes and and an hour. Crown prep probably takes 45 minutes tops, and my dentist offers CEREC (same day crowns) so I don't have to go back to have the crown put in, it's done in one visit.