Root Canal Treatment or Tooth Extraction? Not for the squeemish!

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I'm not sure, but a serious infection might change the advice one would give on root canal vs. extraction. The difference in experience across the pond might possibly be related to a further possible difference in preventative care. Americans may have more regular dental checkups, which might detect a root canal situation before it deteriorates to the point where extraction is the best option.

In my case, the root canal situation hit suddenly... a searing pain in a tooth that had an old filling. It was a Friday afternoon but my regular dentist was just able to get me in to see a root canal specialist who had it all excavated out by about 8 pm (There was about 2 hours of driving). I had to wait a bit longer for a crown to be made, which is normal. I'd already had crowns put on teeth that had too many fillings to hold together any more, so that was no surprise.

I gather that what you really need to avoid is having the infection spread to the bone.
 
What's the big deal about root canal anyway? I fall asleep durring them sometimes. And it's NOT the stuff the dentist is giving me that's doing it, either. Seriously.

if you can swing the $$$, I hear the tooth implants are amazing, if you're a good candidate for them.
 
Rasie your hand if you still have a gag reflex........

OK, most Americans are convinced that there are no competent dentists in England.

Not so sure about that, but we are as a group obsessed with preventive measures/medicine to the point that the answer here to everyting is often unnecessary surgical and/or pharmaceutical procedures.

Uhm, why doesn't NHS (National Health Service) pay for what you need?

Ture story: Train from France to Netherlands (*WAVES* to louis)beautiful French-speaking woman get on in Belgium. And if she turned MY head, trust me she was hot. Red dress spaghetti straps nice heels, face, hair, all that stuff. Out of her fashioanble log-shpaed clutch purse that was designed with an "Oggi" magazine cover, she withdrew a cigarette. Strike one. She lifted her arms and the stench was unreal. Strike two. There was a forest under there. Strike three. But the all-time BEST was........

When she opened up her mouth to insert the cigarette. Many missing teeth. The ones she did have were yellow, brown and black. This was an otherwise gorgeous young lady!

So my advice: Save all your natural teeth for as long as you can. Get them whitened and cleaned once-in-a-while. It will take years off of your appearance. TAKE CARE OF YOU YOUR BODY AND YOUR APPEARANCE. No one else will do it for you.

Alternate ending: Put on your red dress and heels, shave your pits, wash them and apply deodorant and dressed like that, get to the dentist to FIX YOUR TEETH right boy!

as Loreal company wants you to think "becasue....I'm WORTH IT!
 
Thanks again everyone. Toggle, you make me die!

One more question, if I do have the tooth taken out which is a lower molar, not premolar, do I absolutely have to have an implant or a bridge or something or can I just live with the gap?

Nick
 
You can, but your other teeth may well shift, and depending on the relative position, may radically alter your smile and your bite....proceed carefully.
 
Dont these usally go in two at a time?

Do I absolutely have to have an implant?

Do-able but drilling the bone to insert the post has gotta hurt.

However, I'm all for preventing/filling a gap becaue your teeth WILL shift.

Did we say why your procedures may not be insured by the health service. Hate to ne nosey.......
 
Toggle

I don't know for sure, but here's what I've been told by my dentist.

The NHS (dental) book out appointments in 15 minute blocks. The longest appointment you can get is 30 minutes (2 blocks) whereas a Root Canal is up to two hours, often in two appointments. So they tend to take teeth out, in 30 mins the injection can take, procedure done and major bleeding stopped.

You can get an NHS dentist to do root canal work privately but not on the NHS, so I believe.

Does it matter if the teeth shift a little? Remember this is a lower molar on the right side - the first one after the premolars.

Innnnnput.....need more innnnnput!!! (Johhny 5, `Short Circuit)
 
Can you get the work done in another country for free?

My grandfather was a US citizen and had lived here for for 40+/- years but had full dentures made near the end of his life in the mid 80's in his native Greece at no cost to him.

This perplexes me in that after so many foreign occupations, where the hall of records is the first thing usually burned to the ground, I don't believe he had any birth certificate or related documents.
 
And if you put a bridge in, go with the permanent kind. Bridges usually come in the removable or permanent kind. The removables over time wear down the teeth they attatch to and you always have to worry about removing it for cleaning, etc.
A permanent bridge installation is not any worse than a filling and will keep the teeth from shifting.
Now all this is based on if you get the tooth extracted, rather than getting it root canaled.
As for dental care, about 6 years ago we started using a Water Pik cleaner and our dental bills went way down. At each cleaning session, the dental therapist always comments about the lack of build up on our teeth. We viewed this as a wise investment.

Several years ago we had some German freinds come to live here in the States for several years. One of the first things they did when they arrived was to find a good dentist. Not that they had bad teeth, but they wanted that "American Smile". They had their teeth straightened, whitened, and veneered. The whole family did this. Now that they are back in Germany for a few years they still say that was one of the best things they ever did!
 
You've never been offered gas??

I have a massive phobia of needles so when I needed major dental work for tooth extraction etc... My dentist referred me to a Dental Practice/Anxiety clinic where they offered excellent treatment, they put a nozzle over your nose and you inhale deeply and within seconds the gas makes you feel like your really heavy, and just oh so relaxed LOL.
Once that has taken effect, they also slip a small needle into the back of your hand (not sure of its purpose, sorry). But once thats done, your still conscious however you are not really aware of what is going on around you LOL, very nice feeling actually.

They carry on your dental work ETC with you being so relaxed and whatever you dont realy notice that theyre sticking needles in your gums to numb ya chops LOL.

Perhaps you could asked to be referred to a similar place?

Whichever route you decide to take, I hope your pain and suffering ends very soon!

Take Care
Good Luck!
 
Gas

My son had to have a few cavities filled and he does not like dentists either (he is 4 now but had these done when he was 3). I was referred to a dentist who uses the nitrious oxide gas. What a difference it makes! He was able to let them put the thing on his nose and within 2-3 minutes he was all loose. He sat on my lap and could answer the nurses and Dr's if they asked him a question-he was very lucid. They did all the work without novicaine too. It was amazing.

On the other hand, my daughter had to have 3 teeth pulled because of overcrowding as her adult teeth were starting to come in. She had a tiny mouth/bite and there is not enough room for all the adult teeth to be there. At the age of 6, she had the 3 baby teeth pulled with just novicaine. I will NEVER let that happen again. No one told me about the gas that could have been used and she went through a lot of pain for no reason (and so did the dentist because she clocked him in the nose!!!!!!!)
 
Molars!!!!

Hi Nick

I would go with the root canal work, I had one done 16yrs ago along with a permenant bridge following an incident with a Brass Band Bass Tuba ( I played in a band and whilst marching some bozo smacked into me whilst I wasnt looking and the rather large metal mouthpiece whacked me in the mouth). The only thing I felt after the injection was the brushes to check everything was clear...a friend also suggested using Oil of Cloves, available from chemists, dab a few drops on around the area, doesnt half sooth the pain...have had no probs since...

All the best, Mike
 
Heather:
Cavities in a 3 y.o. You can't tell me dentists fill baby teeth! Did I read your post incorrectly?

My childhood dentist was a leftie with a chair designed for a rightie. *UGH* He had no touble giving laughing gas though!
His X-ray machine had a big black cone on it. I thought that was the drill! And I was no stranger to it. Due to digestive issues as an infant the formula used was indigestible to me. Long story short, teeth did nto get nutrients needed out of formula.. Had them all filled by the time I was 12. Freikin silver amalgams still endure. Perhaps we can blame my erratic behavior on mercury poisoning from them.. *LOL*

~I have a massive phobia of needles.
I used to also, but with weekly allergy shots, one becomes densensitized.
Let's put it another way. With the more prickin' you get, even the really big ones become *YAWN* ho-hum.
 
My son has really deep crevices in his teeth and the dentist said that no matter how clean we keep them, he will always get small cavities (they were so small that he needed no novicane to fix them). They are in his back molars so he will have these for a long time. He doesn't have any loose teeth yet but I have a feeling it will happen within the next year. My daughter lost her first tooth Sept 2005 at the age of 5 1/2 and now has 10 baby teeth missing.

I had allergy shots too for several years weekly. It was not fun but at least I can have a dog now but I am still allergic to cats, rabbits, or anything with soft fur. Did they help you?
 
"I don't believe he had any birth certificate or re

The father of a friend of mine, of Greek ancestry, refused to check the box on various forms that indicated his race was "Caucasian". Instead he'd check "Other" and fill in the blank with "Greek".
 
FUnny

My dentist gives me tons of that gas and oh... HE's not cute at all, but boy does he learn what a gay man does.. Hehehehe...
 
Thanks so much to everyone who contributed to this thread. It really means so much that you took the time to write.

This problem I had really affected by happiness between christmas and now.

Well I made my decision and just one hour ago I went to the dentist. I had the tooth yanked, and it was an absolutely great experience! I was given three shots of novocaine, skillfully placed and administered, then had to wait in the waiting room for 10 minutes for it to take effect. When I went back int he dentist said that he'd have to drill the tooth out because it was broken too far down. He did this, and I felt him using the drill to loosen the tooth. Then he rocked the tooth about vigorously (I actually quite liked that bit!) and he just pulled it out. It took about 3 minutes in total. I had to bite on a big puffy pad thing filled with stuff which is probably antiseptic and clove oil for a few mins, job done. The cost? £42.

I think that root canal treatment in this country as opposed to the USA is less successful, based on my hours of research on the internet and asking everyone I knew. I didn't want to spend the best part of £1000 on a treatment and a crown if the tooth would need pulling eventually anyway. So many people aged 60 or so I spoke to had rear molars removed 20/30 years ago and never missed them or needed any further treatment.

Of course, I don't know if I made the right decision and possibly won't for a while. But I'm really glad it's sorted....and you know the best thing? My wife said that if I saved all that money on root canal treatment I could buy a new Miele washing machine!!! Yey!!!! I was thinking of that machine, and all the good things in my life, as that drill went it. Not that I needed to cause it was FINE.

So for anyone who is scared of having a tooth out like I was don't be....and I whole heartedly recommend Dr Ansah of Ellton surgery in Chelsmford. What a nice guy, what a great service.

And there the story ends! Thanks very much for your help once again.

Regards,

Nick
 

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