Monday, 19 August 2013

Tooth Pain & Pocket Pain - A Perfect Marriage

So dear reader a week has passed since my deep filling was replaced. Do you remember the specialist said the tooth only needed a new filling? "Premature" to talk of root canal work he said. Guess what? This weekend it has been playing up merry hell.

I saw my dentist this morning and now the tooth in question has an infection and does need root canal work. How did that happen?

So adding on the £65.00 for the replacement filling it has cost me £157 so far to get a wrong diagnosis and to be in even more pain than before.

My dentist has said that the specialist should do the work and it will cost in the region of £660. No thrifty alternative I'm afraid. Although my dentist is a NHS dentist and theoretically he should be able to do the work he says the other guy has more expertise and more advanced equipment. How do dentists make you feel you have to take their advice or accept the dire consequences? The implication is if I don't go to the expert I will get a shoddy job done and then there will be more problems with my teeth. I did consider an extraction, the tooth is at the top right at the back, but I think I would regret that later on. Lots of horror stories about teeth shifting about if you remove their neighbour.


But actually lots of horror stories about root canal work and dentistry in general. And what with the pain an all my mind feels a little bit fuddled. I'm taking antibiotics (which I'm always loathe to do) and I've booked in for the first part of the treatment next week. I just hope I'm making the right decision.


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13 comments:

  1. nilly19 August 2013 at 23:34

    Oh dear! I'm afraid I have no experience of this & can offer no words of wisdom EXCEPT - and I'm sure I'm a few years older than you are so I speak from experience - teeth tend to shift about a bit as you get older (over 60) anyway and having a back one out might give them a bit more room to do this.
    Good luck!

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  2. JudyMac20 August 2013 at 02:57

    Is your "specialist" what we Americans know as a periodontist? If so, I would think he should have been able to determine early on that you needed root canal work, especially if he made an xray. And yes, it is always best to keep the good teeth whenever possible. If a bad tooth has to be removed, you can have a new artificial tooth put in to fill the open space, but that seems to be quite expensive if it's done right. It does pay, in the long run, to take good care of your teeth. :-)

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    Replies
    1. Shrimpton and Perfect20 August 2013 at 10:39

      Hi Judy, Yes you are right, I've always taken good care of my teeth and until recently have never had any real trouble at all. I think it will end up being root canal work with a specialist in Endodontics which does sound rather like your periodontist. Nice to hear from you btw even on such a painful topic :)

      Jean x

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    2. JudyMac21 August 2013 at 02:27

      Hi, Jean -- You may actually have the right word; there are a lot of "-ontists" in the dental world to keep up with. I've had one root canal done, many moons ago, it was a tooth in the very front, and after the root was removed and the tooth officially declared "dead," for a very long time I used to have visions that the tooth would fall out one day. Alas, it never has! :-) Hope your purse can withstand whatever pain it may incur.

      Delete
  3. Rosemary20 August 2013 at 19:11

    Sympathy to you - pain in the mouth is very unpleasant, it also often prevents sleep. Good luck with whatever happens - but the cost!!!

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    Replies
    1. Shrimpton and Perfect21 August 2013 at 16:43

      Thanks Rosemary, I'm having the procedure tomorrow morning now at 8.10am, because of the pain it has been brought forward. It will only be one session instead of two so that is good. Same cost though and my dentist will put in a permanent filling next Friday "if all goes well".

      Jean x

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  4. Unknown21 August 2013 at 07:48

    Oh no.. Sounds dreadful! I'm here via Meet me at Mikes' link up & I have root canal experience. Such a hefty cost for a procedure like this. :( Having said that, I found the actual procedure was not painful at all really and I was glad to have the pain dealt with quickly. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly!

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    Replies
    1. Shrimpton and Perfect21 August 2013 at 16:48

      Hi Ashwee, thanks for your good wishes and yes I can't wait for this pain to stop and normal life begin again.
      Thanks for dropping by the blog.

      Jean x

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  5. Anonymous21 August 2013 at 10:23

    Oh, I don't envy you that decision one bit. Good luck with whatever you decide.

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    Replies
    1. Shrimpton and Perfect21 August 2013 at 16:44

      Thanks Toffeeapple,all these good wishes will help tomorrow I'm sure.

      Jean x

      Delete
  6. lettice leaf21 August 2013 at 18:07

    The money I have spent on my teeth...you wouldn't believe... I'm just afraid to open my mouth in case a small terraced house falls out!

    I once won a competition in the early Sixties (first prize a car, second a vanity case.. guess which I got?) with the immortal words...
    'A tooth in the mouth is worth two on a denture.'

    I rest my case, and yes I've still got it, and most of my teeth.

    Happy days.

    LLX

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  7. Shrimpton and Perfect22 August 2013 at 17:49

    Hi LL, The deed has been done, let's hope it all goes to plan and I too get to keep my tooth.
    Jean x

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