Possible root canal on front tooth...so scared

[Polarpurplebear]

Well..it's been a long time since I posted here...but I am looking for some support.

I'll try to cut a long story short...
Last summer I had a veneer put on my front tooth which was really mishapen and stained from some antibiotics I had taken as a child. I had lived with it for 25 years but finally decided to get it fixed. I paid a lot of money to have a very highly regarded dentist fit a porcelain veneer, and was so pleased. It looks great and he was really considerate. I had some sensitivity after the procedure but was told that was normal and would settle down.

After a few months I was still having a few intermittent issues - occasional sensitivity to hot and cold on that tooth, and sometimes just the odd day where it ached slightly. I went back to the dentist and he had a good look and saw no signs of cavities, exposed root, decay etc. He said I should come back if the ache became severe and constant as it could signal some decay in the root and the need for a root canal.

3-4 months went by with just the intermittent sensitivity here and there, but largely it was painless. Until yesterday - it started out as a slight ache in the morning but by last night it was full blown toothache and it was agony. Kept me up half the night and this morning I decided I HAD to get myself to a dentist.

I can't go to the original dentist - he is very expensive and I'm now studying full time and can't afford it - it'd cost me £50 to get seen, plus money for xrays and a root canal would be in the region of £200 if I needed one. There are NHS dentists in my area accepting new patients who could do the lot for under £50 so I have to take that option.

So I'm booked in with this new dentist this afternoon. I am so scared...what if I need a root canal? Has anyone ever had one on a front tooth before? Is it even possible I could have decay in the root of my tooth when the tooth itself looks healthy with no sign of cavities etc? I'm so upset, I look after my teeth so well, I brush and floss twice daily, I don't know how this has happened. Do you think anything else could cause this kind of pain?

 

[biffo1963]

Hi,

I have had root canals on two different front teeth. Front teeth, fortunately, only have a single canal so the treatment doesn't take ages to perform; I found it very little different from having a filling.

You can certainly have problems below the gumline or inside the tooth regardless of the appearance of the visible part of the tooth - possibly decay, or maybe an infection around the tip of the root. Sadly sh*t happens no matter how well you look after 'em ! However you are certainly doing the right thing, it's highly likely that an x-ray will reveal the cause of your problem, whatever it may be. Good luck this afternoon !


John

 

[swampiesue]

Hi there... I had one a few weeks ago....in a canine through a bridge....it was pain free apart from a little twinge for half an hour....It is much easier to do one through a front tooth as less roots with nerves in... mine was done by my NHS dentist who was really nice ... he put something tasting of strawberry on my gum first and I did not even feel the needle...

Due to the infection.. the tooth died and after anti biotics he was able to remove the nerve without even an injection but told me to tell him if it hurt at all and he would give me one... 2 weeks later went back and he numbed me up and did the root canal. 2 weeks again later he put a post in filled it and it was done......

Good luck hope it all goes well and just tell the dentist how scared you are xx

 

[Polarpurplebear]

Thanks for the support both of you - I went and the dentist was really nice.

As it happens there is no decay or cavity at all - the xray came up clean - but the nerve is inflamed. Apparently the trauma of getting the veneer can cause problems with the nerve in a few cases and I seem to be unlucky. Ive been given antibiotics for now and the dentist is hopeful that will help to calm things down. If not then it will be a root canal....fingers crossed this works. Unfortunatley nothing can be done about the pain for now - I'm taking ibuprofen and also using some sensodyne on the sensitive tooth

 

[brit]

Just wondering if the private dentist has any liability towards you re the veneer causing a root canal? Even if he doesn't, he should be told the outcome of his treatment...(so he can think twice before selling such procedures so enthusiastically next time maybe?)
Were you fully informed of all the risks before proceeding? I realise you had a strong personal motive for taking the risk but were you fully informed of that risk?

Sorry this has happened to you

Glad the NHS dentist was nice - refreshing to hear that.

 

[Polarpurplebear]

Thanks Brit.

I doubt he has any liability. He didn't tell me that this might happen - he only mentioned it afterwards when I initially complained of pain, he said it was extremely unusual to be having issues several months down the line. I suppose he should have said that beforehand to be safe, though I probably still would have gone ahead with those being the odds. I got confirmation from the NHS dentist yesterday that the dentist who fitted my veneer did an exceptional job too - he told me my problem was nothing to do with how it was fitted, or with how I cared for it, just very bad luck.

If I need a root canal I probably will let him know though. I am praying I don't - I hear they can darken the tooth and that should show through the veneer and might mean it looks a different colour. Would totally defeat the object of having it and it cost a bloody fortune! xx

 

[Polarpurplebear]

Also - do NHS dentists have a bad rep? This was actually my first time on the NHS and I was really pleased. The dentist was so friendly, he was extremely sympathetic to me - I didn't even need to explain I was nervous, he was just naturally very kind and caring. After I had my xray he sat me down and showed me what it all meant, explained what he was seeing. He even showed me another patient xray (anonymously of course!) to show me the difference between mine and theirs i.e. what decay looks like, and he answered all my questions. He explained fully why he didn't think we should go with root canal first, he wanted to try the least damaging option first etc. If I do need a root canal I think I would trust him to do it. This is a dentist in South London right by a tube station so if anyone in London can't afford private I would happily recommend this one, you can pm me. Obviously I've had no treatment with him so I'm basing this on just this initial experience.

 

[brit]

Also - do NHS dentists have a bad rep? This was actually my first time on the NHS and I was really pleased. The dentist was so friendly, he was extremely sympathetic to me - I didn't even need to explain I was nervous, he was just naturally very kind and caring. After I had my xray he sat me down and showed me what it all meant, explained what he was seeing. He even showed me another patient xray (anonymously of course!) to show me the difference between mine and theirs i.e. what decay looks like, and he answered all my questions. He explained fully why he didn't think we should go with root canal first, he wanted to try the least damaging option first etc. If I do need a root canal I think I would trust him to do it. This is a dentist in South London right by a tube station so if anyone in London can't afford private I would happily recommend this one, you can pm me. Obviously I've had no treatment with him so I'm basing this on just this initial experience.

NHS dentists vary a lot...just like private ones - not all private ones are good. The main problem for NHS dentists seems to be time pressure/lack of experience if recently qualified/basic-ness of NHS offering - you've obviously found a good one doing what he is supposed to according to the GDC guidelines i.e. treat patients with respect and get informed consent - was he the practice owner though - how long will he stay put - that is the other issue for me..lack of continuity of care from the same dentist in NHS. That's what finally made me go private over 20 odd years ago. No desire to return lol.

I would say you should have been warned of that risk to give informed consent. Unless the NHS dentist is a cosmetic expert I don't really see how he could know for sure - maybe too much enamel was shaved away and that compromised the nerve. Respectfully suggest he is just doing that professional 'closing ranks' thing.
The private dentist may want to make amends???
This lot will liaise on your behalf I think: https://dcs.gdc-uk.org

If your tooth does need a root canal, it would be safest to have it done by an endodontist (specialist) but the good news is the front teeth are the easiest to do as they only have one canal. Ask the nice NHS dentist how much time he can allow for it and how long does he think it will last.
Sorry you had such a bad result. Not sure how rare it is, I know veneers do have their downsides and usually try to at least make sure people are aware of the downsides.

FROM THAT WEBSITE:
Putting things right
When we investigate complaints we look at both sides of the argument. We try to sort out the complaint in a way that is fair for all concerned.

If we do find something has gone wrong we will get the dental practice or practitioner involved to:
Provide an explanation and acknowledgement of what went wrong
Take action to put the matter right, including giving you an apology
Where appropriate, our complaints panels can recommend that a refund of fees should be made to you and/or recommend that a contribution is made towards any remedial treatment you may need, up to the value of the amount you have paid for the original treatment
We can also recommend that:
Changes are made in the way the dental practice or practitioner works so that similar things don't happen again
Lessons are learnt from things that have gone wrong
While we have no formal power to enforce our recommendations we expect that they will almost always be followed.

My complaint would be that you weren't warned of the root canal risk, you really should have been.

 

[Polarpurplebear]

Thanks Brit.

Well I dont think I want to get any external regulators involved, I don't think it's necessary in this case. Yes I suppose he could have said that nerve damage was possible but rare, but I would have gone ahead anyway - I needed to because my tooth looked bad! However I have sent him an email - I basically told him what had happened, and that I might need the root canal. I told himI would rather have him do it for me because he is familiar with my case, but that I cannot afford to pay £250 when it is £49.50 on the NHS - true, I'm a student. I asked whether he was willing to do it for less given that my tooth was fine beforeand this pain has resulted from the previous procedure. I'm waiting to hear from him now.

I think I might need it to be honest, I'm quite upset. The antibiotics seemed to be working fab - yesterday afternoon (about 48 hrs after I started them) the pain was almost gone. This morning it is creeping back in again so I'm worried they aren't going to work for me.
Does anyone else know what else I can do to help the pain? It isnt unbearable, just very annoying. Ibuprofen does nothing at all. Thanks so much x

 

[brit]

Good on ya - it will be interesting to see what his reply is. No idea about what you could take in the meantime though.

 

[vitavika]

Thanks Brit.

Well I dont think I want to get any external regulators involved, I don't think it's necessary in this case. Yes I suppose he could have said that nerve damage was possible but rare, but I would have gone ahead anyway - I needed to because my tooth looked bad! However I have sent him an email - I basically told him what had happened, and that I might need the root canal. I told himI would rather have him do it for me because he is familiar with my case, but that I cannot afford to pay £250 when it is £49.50 on the NHS - true, I'm a student. I asked whether he was willing to do it for less given that my tooth was fine beforeand this pain has resulted from the previous procedure. I'm waiting to hear from him now.

I think I might need it to be honest, I'm quite upset. The antibiotics seemed to be working fab - yesterday afternoon (about 48 hrs after I started them) the pain was almost gone. This morning it is creeping back in again so I'm worried they aren't going to work for me.
Does anyone else know what else I can do to help the pain? It isnt unbearable, just very annoying. Ibuprofen does nothing at all. Thanks so much x

Hi Polarpurplebear -

What was the result? I am also facing a similar situation. I have a beautiful tooth that had the tiniest cavity though and the dentist drilled it. Afterwards, it has been been sensitive to hot, cold, and sweets at times. I have taken great care of the tooth and just last week the pain got intense. I got antibiotics and it is better. I really don't want to get a root canal and fear that that is what they will be suggesting.

Did your tooth heal or did you end up getting a root canal? What is your experience?