Infection after replacement filling

[celtic_girl]

Hi

I had a very bad dental year last year which has now given me a dental phobia.

To cut a long story short my old dentist did 2 replacement fillings in one day and one went through the nerve of my back tooth and made me need a root canal. The other (the worst one) was in my premolar tooth which had been root treated 9 years before and was not causing me a problem. After he replaced the filling in that one, I felt a bit of pain on biting together and went back for a bit adjustment. Following the bite adjustment, I had unbearable throbbing pain in that tooth.

I then went to the emergency dentist who confirmed it had been reinfected probably as a result of having the filling replaced. The NHS wouldn't pay to have my tooth root treated again so I had to see a specialist privately which cost a fortune and I could have lost my tooth which horrified me.

All that upset was caused by having a replacement filling. My question is, how is it possible to get a tooth infected after a filling, bearing in mind that tooth had no pulp in it? Could this have been a hygiene issue eg a dirty drill?
Do they use different drills on each patient?

I have a new dentist now and am due a check-up next week. I am panicking in case I need fillings replaced and have this all over again. How common is this to occur?

Thanks,
Mo.

 

[Gordon]

The emergency dentist was talking out of his arse, I'm afraid.

The reinfection would have been most likely to have come from the leaking or defective filling that needed replaced, not the process of replacing it. The other possibility is that the root filling was always failing, but any infection was draining out through the faulty filling, sealing it up with the new filling caused the flare up.

 

[celtic_girl]

Hi

I have had that tooth root treated again by a specialist. Do I now need to insist on regular x-rays to ensure this does not happen again? I am worried if I get a crack or hole in that filling that my tooth will just get reinfected and nobody will be able to fix it and I am still young so the filling won't last a lifetime. Does a tooth always get an infection when the filling has a crack in it?

My old dentist hardly ever x-rayed my teeth and I am wondering if that is why they didn't spot the infection.

I only have a filling in that tooth, not a crown. I have a final appointment next month at the specialist which will be 6 months after finishing my root treatment. She wants to x-ray again it as my infection was near the apex and she also said I was borderline needing a crown. Would a crown protect this tooth more than the filling from getting reinfected?


Thanks,
Mo.

 

[Gordon]

It's always a good idea to have regular x-rays done. The frequency of taking them varies from person to person, but it is a good general principal to have them taken.

If the root canal is well sealed before the filling is placed, which most endodontists in my experience take care to do, then they aren't particularly vulnerable to leaking fillings.

Crowns are a bit more protective of the tooth than a filling, root treated teeth are a bit more brittle so they can break a bit more easily, so a lot of dentists prefer to do a crown on top of a root treated tooth, it's not totally essential 100% of the time though.

 

[carole]

What are you afraid of leeharry10?

 

[celtic_girl]

Thanks I feel a bit more relaxed now. I remember the specialist saying she will ensure the tooth is packed and sealed really well so hopefully another infection won't get in.

The first root treatment on that tooth was done by a general dentist on the NHS. When the specialist looked at it on my x-ray she said it wasn't bad, not the best and not the worst she'd seen. It lasted 9 years and the nurses at my dental surgery said I did well to have a root treatment done on the NHS to last for 9 years! I was surprised at that and it makes me think I may need to go straight to a specialist if I need one again because I am still young so lasting just 9 years and then being in danger of losing my tooth makes me panic.

It's always a good idea to have regular x-rays done. The frequency of taking them varies from person to person, but it is a good general principal to have them taken.

If the root canal is well sealed before the filling is placed, which most endodontists in my experience take care to do, then they aren't particularly vulnerable to leaking fillings.

Crowns are a bit more protective of the tooth than a filling, root treated teeth are a bit more brittle so they can break a bit more easily, so a lot of dentists prefer to do a crown on top of a root treated tooth, it's not totally essential 100% of the time though.