Has my dentist lied to me about NHS treatment?

[dsof]

Hi All,

I went to the dentist recently and was quoted at 750 for a root canal and 800 for a crown (both private). I asked if they could be done on the NHS and she told me that the NHS does not cover root canals for this tooth, only the ones in front. She also heavily discouraged an NHS crown saying that it would not be good, etc.

I have researched and cannot find anywhere that says the NHS do not cover root canals on the furthest back molars - lower left tooth 7 (not wisdom teeth). Is this true?


here is the background:


For about 4 years now I have had pain in my furthest back lower left tooth (LL7) (wisdom teeth removed). The pain occurs when biting down on it at certain angles, grinding, chewing, both when I bite down and on release.
I have a very large white composite filling in the tooth.
I have seen multiple dentists about this tooth and most tell me they don't see any issues.
A few months ago I saw a new dentist who recommended the tooth be refilled in an attempt to fix the issue, so I gave it a go. The issue has stayed the same since.
I have just been in to see her again and discuss the tooth as the refilling did not do anything and here is the new diagnosis:
Basically my tooth has micro fractures in it and bacteria is slowly flowing into the root through the cracks which is then slowly eating the tooth from inside the root.
She took an xray and showed me the tooth next to the other 2 and pointed at dark space near the root, around the tooth, that she says shows what she is talking about. To be fair I did see more black space around that tooth than the others, so I do believe she is onto something.
She said that eventually bacteria will infect this area as it goes through the cracks more and more and at that point I would be in constant pain and my options would then be extraction or root canal and crown.
She said the longer I wait and the worse it gets, the lower the chance of success a root canal has.
She said I should therefore get the root canal ASAP and then the crown to cover it on the same day. I queried the need for the crown but she was very insistent on it needing the crown as well after the root canal to protect the tooth.
I also queried the urgency and she said at this point it really just depends on my immune system combating the bacteria there and that oral hygiene is no longer a factor.
She also told me that after having these 2 procedures I should have no pain at all in the tooth thereafter.

 

[letsconnect]

NHS molar root canal treatment

Hi there ,

You're correct that the NHS covers molar root canal treatment, so yes, you were told a lie.

However, for a molar, you'd be well advised to see a specialist endodontist (rather than a general dentist) if you can afford to. Endodontists' success rates for molars tend to be a lot higher as they have specialist training and equipment. Are the fees you've been quoted for an endodontist or for a general dentist? (for a general dentist, they would seem rather high?). If the root canal treatment were to fail, your options would be an extraction or a re-treatment, and fees for a retreatment are higher than for a first treatment (never mind the additional hassle and perhaps pain if there is an abscess as a result of a failed root canal treatment).

The other good thing about seeing an endodontist for a consultation would be that they can tell with much greater certainty whether a tooth needs root canal treatment or not - so it would be worth seeing one for this reason alone. From your description of the symptoms, it could be a cracked tooth, and the treatment may involve a filling or a crown or onlay providing full cuspal coverage (depending on the nature of the crack), rather than root canal treatment. An endodontist would be much more likely to be able to pinpoint the exact nature of the problem and give you peace of mind re. what course of action you should take.

Your dentist is correct that you can get better quality crowns privately (although private doesn't always equal good quality, of course).

Depending on how badly broken down the tooth is, you may also want to find out if it is possible to preserve more tooth structure by doing an onlay instead.