broken tooth repair

[patient]

I had a tooth that broke. It was not painful so I just left it I changed dentists and the new dentist said he wanted to fix it. It broke further so he had a look at it and I suggested it be removed and I have a denture and he said no. Today he built up the tooth and filled it. He said take some painkillers if needed and I did not think it would cause any bother because he had previously given me a root canal which did not affect me so I said oh this one wont hurt and he said but this is a different tooth. However with the root canal they take out the nerve so with no nerve it is not going to be painful. Anyway getting back to this broken tooth. When the injection wore off it was quite sore. It is a back molar and hurts to bite down. I phoned the surgery and he said that because it was a large filling then what I am feeling is normal and that it will eventually get better. I hate toothache and the only time I have ever had toothache from a filling is when another dentist did a filling and did it wrong and a second dentist had to correct it and do it again and it stopped hurting. I really do not know what to do as it is quite painful and I do not want to have to rely on painkillers. Usually dentists put some solution inside the tooth to calm the nerve if there is going to be a large filling but this dentist did not put anything in

 

[patient]

I did ask for the tooth to be removed but the dentist said no but surely if I as the patient wants a tooth taken out then is it not my right? I did not think there was any hope left for the tooth because it broke further and I still do not think there is much hope for it now. I would be the one living with a missing tooth with either a bridge or a false denture not the dentist so surely do I not have rights to have it removed rather than spend any more unnecessary work on it which ultimately has led to this pain and discomfort

 

[letsconnect]

If you asked a surgeon to take out your appendix because you believed that you had appendicitis, would they have to oblige (even if they did not agree with your diagnosis)?

It’s pretty much the same here - a dentist cannot provide treatment that they believe to be wrong on the basis that their patient is requesting it.

 

[Judythecat]

Not a dentist, but my understanding is that a big filling can irritate the tooth’s nerve. If it was done yesterday I would give it a week, then go back to the dentist if it’s no better, but hopefully it will settle down. Using painkillers on a short term basis would be fine - if you are medically allowed to take them, you could alternate ibuprofen and paracetamol.

It sounds from your post that you don’t fully trust your dentist - might it be worth looking to see if there’s another surgery you could go to in future?

Hope your tooth settles down soon! ?

 

[patient]

I trust my dentist. However you are wrong to suggest waiting a week. My instincts were that there is something serious with this tooth. I rang NHS Direct and the dental nurse said go to the dentist in the morning. I went to the dentist who took an xray. The xray revealed that the tooth is quite badly infected and I was given antibiotics. I am going to have to have root canal treatment on that tooth. I was told that the reason I cannot bite down on that tooth is because the lower teeth push against that tooth when I bite together which in turn pushes the puss up and onto the nerve. If I had waited a week Goodness knows what would have happened to the tooth. I said how come it has only just started hurting and how did the infection start because when I joined the practice I was given the usual xray of the mouth and nothing showed up. He said when you first broke the tooth it should not have been left untreated. Then it broke further and when it broke further it was more exposed and more inclined to get infected. He put a temporary filling round the tooth but obviously by that time the damage had already set into the tooth and although it did not hurt, it was only a matter of time until it did and by drilling out the tooth yesterday at the filling appointment obviously aggrivated it to the extent that it now is hurting and I need further treatment. My first thought was that when it broke further it should have been xrayed but it was not and the dentist just filled it. Perhaps if he had given the tooth an xray then there would have been no need to have the unecessary treatment I received yesterday which was a waste of time because now I have to go back for more extensive treatment and a crown so at the end of yesterdays appointment we thought that tooth was all completed and done and dusted and that was the end of the treatment..... not so.

 

[Judythecat]

I trust my dentist. However you are wrong to suggest waiting a week. My instincts were that there is something serious with this tooth. I rang NHS Direct and the dental nurse said go to the dentist in the morning. I went to the dentist who took an xray. The xray revealed that the tooth is quite badly infected and I was given antibiotics. I am going to have to have root canal treatment on that tooth. I was told that the reason I cannot bite down on that tooth is because the lower teeth push against that tooth when I bite together which in turn pushes the puss up and onto the nerve. If I had waited a week Goodness knows what would have happened to the tooth. I said how come it has only just started hurting and how did the infection start because when I joined the practice I was given the usual xray of the mouth and nothing showed up. He said when you first broke the tooth it should not have been left untreated. Then it broke further and when it broke further it was more exposed and more inclined to get infected. He put a temporary filling round the tooth but obviously by that time the damage had already set into the tooth and although it did not hurt, it was only a matter of time until it did and by drilling out the tooth yesterday at the filling appointment obviously aggrivated it to the extent that it now is hurting and I need further treatment. My first thought was that when it broke further it should have been xrayed but it was not and the dentist just filled it. Perhaps if he had given the tooth an xray then there would have been no need to have the unecessary treatment I received yesterday which was a waste of time because now I have to go back for more extensive treatment and a crown so at the end of yesterdays appointment we thought that tooth was all completed and done and dusted and that was the end of the treatment..... not so.

I specifically said I am not a dentist in my post, I was drawing on my own experience in a similar scenario. I am pleased you are going to get the care and treatment you need.