Filling redone but was it really decay on the x-ray?

[sudzs]

Hi again everyone, I haven't been around for a while.

Bit of a long story but 9 months ago I was getting foot stuck between an upper canine and incisor. Then I noticed roughness on the edge of the incisor when using Tepes. I went to my dentist who I see every 6 months for check-ups and they said there was a small hole in the side of the tooth. So I had it filled. Next day I got a migraine with aura, very strange for me, I never get migraines. I got another one a week later. I was also headache-y most of the time, again very unusual for me. And I had tooth pain and some numbness in upper lip. After a week of this I went back to the dentist who x-rayed the tooth. When they showed me the x-ray the "small hole" had been filled all the way down into the root. I also noticed a dark line all around the filling but as the dentist didn't mention it I thought it must be nothing. I was told to give it time to heal but I might need root canal treatment if problems continued and the nerve died.

The pain and headaches cleared but came back after a few weeks. This went on for another few months with the symptoms coming and going as well as the tooth being very sensitive to heat, the root dying apparently. Eventually I got an infection. Well I had swelling at the gumline and bad pain and was prescribed amoxycillin without being seen. It didn't have a huge effect after 3 days so changed to a different antibiotic which didn't help either and made me sick. I stopped that one and the pain improved after about 5 days. So after that, root canal treatment was planned. I had that done but the next day I was in pain. Day after that the tooth was so sensitive that even my lip touching it when talking was unbearable. I couldn't eat and was in tears. This slowly improved over days and I went back to the dentist about it. Again, wait and see. This happened again so back to the dentist who said if it got bad again I'd be referred to an endodontist.

So 8 months after the initial filling the pain and numbness were still coming and going so off to the endodontist I went. He looked and x-rayed and said there was decay under the filling. I should go back to have it redone "get them to put in a proper filling" he said. and if the symptoms persisted after that he would redo the root canal treatment.

I went back to my dentist who said they didn't think it was decay but "translucency at the edges of the filling". They reluctantly did the filling again. There had been a grey spot on the tooth, at the edge of the filling but that is gone now since the new filling was done. I'm guessing that could have been decay???

So, any opinions on whether something else on an x-ray can look look like decay? Who is right here, the dentist or the endodontist? Either way these symptoms and all the treatment have clouded my life for 8 months and I would just be happy to be pain free.

Any opinions on the whole saga would be gratefully appreciated.

 

[Gordon]

If the symptoms resolved after the filling was redone then my money is on the endodontist. Can't really say for sure without seeing the x-ray though.

 

[sudzs]

Thanks so much Gordon for the reply. Well I still have some numbness in my lip following the new filling but maybe too soon to tell. Maybe it will settle down. But I just have a feeling I might need to have the root canal done again but time will tell.

And whether the filling wasn't done well or the RCT wasn't done well I feel very knocked about by it all. I trusted my dentist but I'm going to have to change now as my confidence is gone in her. Back to square one.

Just one other thing, near the end of all the drilling I did smell that kind of burnt smell that I think is associated with decay removal. So I wonder now if the filling had been done properly 8 months ago then maybe I might not have ended up with so many more appointments and the RCT. We'll never know I suppose. Thanks again.

 

[Natzuk]

@sudzs is your dentist trained to do root canals ? There specialty? This is why ive had no success at all because it’s basically different dentist do different things . I’ve lost trust in them . If your dentist surgery has a website and it has all the dentist that work there have a look at what there specialty is ( very sorry if am not explaining properly) and ask can that dentist see you . This is something I will ask or make sure now . Hope it gets sorted soon

 

[sudzs]

Hi @Natzuk. It's a 2 dentist practice. When I had the RCT done and 2 days later was in terrible pain, far worse than the "mild to moderate pain" I had been warned about, I ohoned up was told "oh your dentist is away for a long weekend, give a ring next week." So I took to emails just so everything was documented and I'd remember what was said. It took a whole day of to-ing and fro-ing just to get some medical advice from the other dentist who was there. The advice was keep taking pain relief. I was beside myself with worry about infection and had to go through the weekend like that.

But to answer your question, no not a specialist in RCT, just a general dentist (NHS treatment) that does a bit of Botox on the side. She was humming and singing while doing the RCT and that didn't fill me with confidence.

And there was another thing that should have set off alarm bells. Before all this happened a piece of filling fell off the furthest back molar so I went in. No decay thankfully, it had just come off and she put a replacement piece on. A few weeks later I thought the shape of that tooth/filing felt different and I had the tiniest bit of sensitivity in it for a day. It felt to me that the piece of filling had fallen off so back in I went. She had a quick look and said no, it was fine. Well being a scaredy cat I said ok, great, thanks and flew out the door! But the more I examined it myself the more I was convinced that a bit of the filling had indeed fallen off. There's a jagged bit of tooth edge right at the back. I had planned to mention it at my next check up but then i discovered the decay in the front tooth so that took all my attention.

I think I'll request my x-rays just to have a look myself. As soon as I have those I'll be looking for a new practice. I'm currently with a private endodontist and it's not cheap. Would it be reasonable to expect her to cover the costs or am I in lala land??

 

[Natzuk]

@sudzs wow I’d be sending a complaint incase this happens to anyone else who’s vulnerable like myself which is why I see a special care dentist also no unfortunately a private dentist you will have to pay . Are you in the UK ?

What’s wrong with dentist? I just don’t get it at all . You know I have actual PTSD from dentist my appointments not till next month and I’ve lost weight am doing all the things I do to numb the pain of having to keep going like restricting food etc because I honestly can’t cope and even at the special care dentist I’m scared they are just being nice when they may also do the same thing as mainstream dentist.


Please make a report about this dentist and don’t let any other dentist go near your mouth unless they are trained to do root canal’s. Sorry to hear all that

 

[sudzs]

Ah thanks @Natzuk. Yes I'm in the UK. When I had all the pain and numbness after the initial filling I even said to her, is there any chance that my nerves are a little differently place in there and was there any chance of nerve damage if I did have to have RCT. No she said. Not a thing. When I said I got a migraine the morning after the filling and I thought it was related to the filling because I just don't get migraines, she more or less said, no that's not really a thing..

It's so hard to trust another dentist after this.

I've never heard of a special care dentist. How do you get one? I'm autistic, would I qualify?

 

[Natzuk]

@sudzs I’m autistic also which is why I’m under special care / community dentist . I had a meltdown on the phone too the community dentist and said I need help etc and was finally excepted. They are more aware of your needs and they have the option of giving you sedation and if needed general anaesthetic. I was put asleep to have some teeth out because I can’t tolerate pain at all even needless. So they use the wand at the special care / community dentist . You could ask the dentist to refer you and also if you have a support worker or doctor they may be able too help . You really need to show you can’t tolerate mainstream dentist though. Hope that helps

 

[sudzs]

Thanks so much for the info. I checked it out where I am and I'm out of the catchment area for a special care dentist. Oh well.

I hate the needle going in the most. And I have a massive phobia about extractions. Years ago I had conscious sedation for an extraction and I came around while the dentist was tugging on the tooth. He had his knee on the chair for extra leverage. Talk about traumatic! I absolutely could not go through that again unless I was out.

 

[Natzuk]

@sudzs and apparently dentist don’t do that anymore? Shocking . Also it doesn’t matter about catchment area I live in Warwickshire and mines in leamington spa . ( different postcodes . Please ask because you should not be put through that again . I will need sedation and am so so scared .

 

[sudzs]

I'll check it out next week. Thanks again I would go for sedation every time if I could afford it.

 

[Natzuk]

@sudzs thanks . Would you be able to let me know what sedation is like when ever you have time if that’s okay ? Just so I know because I am scared and I need a tooth out.

 

[sudzs]

Well the conscious sedation is a great. You get a canula in your arm and the drug goes in that way and I assume they top you up as necessary as the procedure is being carried out. As the drug goes in at first you feel very floaty and you just drift off quite quickly. Apart from my extraction horror story all my other experiences were very good. I experienced nothing of the procedures. I had very little anxiety going for dental treatment if I was getting the sedation.

Afterwards when you come around you'll feel a bit floaty, like you've taken a lot of Valium. But it wears off quickly enough. I've had nitrous oxide too and it helped a lot but the mask was very uncomfortable as it has to be on tight to stop the gas leaking out and your dentist getting high!!!

For an extraction I would definitely go for conscious sedation. Good luck with your treatment.