A
Aj64
Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2018
- Messages
- 59
This might end up a long post. Sorry to make you read so much.
It started October 2017. I began getting pain in my left temple area when I touched it. Saw a neurologist and several doctors. Had an MRI scan but nothing was found. But the pain kept increasing. Then in March 2018 my gp suggested seeing a dentist. I wasn't getting any tooth pain at all but I was desperate for answers. I hadn't seen a dentist in over a decade (I know, very daft of me). It took a while to find an nhs dentist who was accepting new patients.
So I saw a dentist. He took xrays and said it was possible I needed a filling replacing on my upper left, first molar, but that the head pain probably wasn't tooth related. So he rem9ved the old filling and found a lot of decay beneath it which he said had probably been festering for a long time.
After removing the decay he was now extremely close to the nerves of the tooth but put a new filling in and we hoped for the best. The pain skyrocketed, both the pain in my temple and now the tooth itself. So he said I needed a root canal.
So he gave me the root canal. After completing it he told me that he had never done an unsupervised molar root canal before!!! The pain didn't go away. I went back to his office every week for a month telling him how much it was hurting. Even my tongue brushing the tooth caused extreme pain. He said he didn't know what else to suggest and maybe I should find a new dentist. I was so scared and annoyed.
I found a new dentist (private this time as no local nhs dentists were taking new patients). This dentist was annoyed that the nhs guy attempted the root canal. He told me I had 2 options. Extraction or see a specialist endodontist to see if the tooth could still be saved. He also told me that due to the position of the roots of my molar, extraction would likely cause a sinus perforation. My fear skyrocketed and stupidly I googled sinus perforations and read some real horror stories.
So I found an endodontist. It was now July 2018 and I had suffered months of sleepless nights and absolute agony in tooth, temple, left eye and cheek. The endo did a retreatment (costing £900...most if my savings). And we waited. Still the pain wouldn't go.
So in November 2018 the endo tried another retreatment for free (very kind of him). He discovered I had extra canals (instead of the usual 3 or 4 I had 6!).
The pain was still there. It had eased a bit but still impossible to chew on my left side or even brush that molar properly. But the endo said wait and see if it settles.
In the meantime I found a surgeon (had to go private again as nhs waiting lists were obscene in the area). He said he could extract and if necessary do a sinus repair using my cheek fat...But it would cost £2000 and require general anaesthesia. I simply could not afford that after the root canal cost and the thought of general anaesthetic scares me. But I booked anyway thinking I could get a loan.
A week before the scheduled extraction they called saying the surgery had been cancelled due to staff shortages. They wouldn't be able to rebook until January 2019
To cut a long story at least a little short, I still have the tooth now. Some things happened in my life earlier this year and money has become a big issue so there is no way I can afford that much money. I have after much searching found a local(ish) oral surgeon who will see me on 1st April. He isn't too expensive and seems experienced.
Now I am absolutely terrified. The prospect of sinus perforation and having to deal with so much healing really terrifies me. I've lost so much weight through not being able to eat properly through all of this (I only weighed 70kg to begin with and am now at 55kg). Between the weight loss and loss of sleep I look like a zombie and feel like I'm actually losing my mind. I just sit and cry for hours sometimes and this entire situation has left me feeling helpless. It seems so weird that 1 tooth has affected my life so much and no one has seemed able to help me properly.
It started October 2017. I began getting pain in my left temple area when I touched it. Saw a neurologist and several doctors. Had an MRI scan but nothing was found. But the pain kept increasing. Then in March 2018 my gp suggested seeing a dentist. I wasn't getting any tooth pain at all but I was desperate for answers. I hadn't seen a dentist in over a decade (I know, very daft of me). It took a while to find an nhs dentist who was accepting new patients.
So I saw a dentist. He took xrays and said it was possible I needed a filling replacing on my upper left, first molar, but that the head pain probably wasn't tooth related. So he rem9ved the old filling and found a lot of decay beneath it which he said had probably been festering for a long time.
After removing the decay he was now extremely close to the nerves of the tooth but put a new filling in and we hoped for the best. The pain skyrocketed, both the pain in my temple and now the tooth itself. So he said I needed a root canal.
So he gave me the root canal. After completing it he told me that he had never done an unsupervised molar root canal before!!! The pain didn't go away. I went back to his office every week for a month telling him how much it was hurting. Even my tongue brushing the tooth caused extreme pain. He said he didn't know what else to suggest and maybe I should find a new dentist. I was so scared and annoyed.
I found a new dentist (private this time as no local nhs dentists were taking new patients). This dentist was annoyed that the nhs guy attempted the root canal. He told me I had 2 options. Extraction or see a specialist endodontist to see if the tooth could still be saved. He also told me that due to the position of the roots of my molar, extraction would likely cause a sinus perforation. My fear skyrocketed and stupidly I googled sinus perforations and read some real horror stories.
So I found an endodontist. It was now July 2018 and I had suffered months of sleepless nights and absolute agony in tooth, temple, left eye and cheek. The endo did a retreatment (costing £900...most if my savings). And we waited. Still the pain wouldn't go.
So in November 2018 the endo tried another retreatment for free (very kind of him). He discovered I had extra canals (instead of the usual 3 or 4 I had 6!).
The pain was still there. It had eased a bit but still impossible to chew on my left side or even brush that molar properly. But the endo said wait and see if it settles.
In the meantime I found a surgeon (had to go private again as nhs waiting lists were obscene in the area). He said he could extract and if necessary do a sinus repair using my cheek fat...But it would cost £2000 and require general anaesthesia. I simply could not afford that after the root canal cost and the thought of general anaesthetic scares me. But I booked anyway thinking I could get a loan.
A week before the scheduled extraction they called saying the surgery had been cancelled due to staff shortages. They wouldn't be able to rebook until January 2019
To cut a long story at least a little short, I still have the tooth now. Some things happened in my life earlier this year and money has become a big issue so there is no way I can afford that much money. I have after much searching found a local(ish) oral surgeon who will see me on 1st April. He isn't too expensive and seems experienced.
Now I am absolutely terrified. The prospect of sinus perforation and having to deal with so much healing really terrifies me. I've lost so much weight through not being able to eat properly through all of this (I only weighed 70kg to begin with and am now at 55kg). Between the weight loss and loss of sleep I look like a zombie and feel like I'm actually losing my mind. I just sit and cry for hours sometimes and this entire situation has left me feeling helpless. It seems so weird that 1 tooth has affected my life so much and no one has seemed able to help me properly.
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