Do I have to pay over £500 for root canal ?Should I extract instead?!
Question:
Do I have to pay over £500 for root canal ?Should I extract instead?
After a routine visit to the dentist I was told that I needed a filling in the top - tooth next to wisdom - (I had not been able to eat on this side for several years due to sensitivity. Had already had the tooth next to it refilled twice but the dentist could find nothing wrong.) This filling was done and for the next week I woke up in agony with the pain subsiding after a minute or so. Strong painkillers for a week barely touched the sides so I went back and was told that I needed RCT but would have to go to a specialist as it was so far at the back and would cost £500-750. This shocked me as I am a paying NHS patient and have read the price capping list published by the NHS.
I have no money for this. Is there a way around it or should I have the tooth extracted (I am 35yrs old) are there any drawbacks to this and do I have to have a bridge or can I leave the gap (not visible)? I was given antibiotics to see if it would settle but the pain has returned. Please help.
Answers:
It is the dentist's job to give you all the options available when planning your treatment. If you are happy to have the tooth extracted then this is probably the cheapest and easiest option but you will be left with a gap. This could possibly be filled with a bridge or implant at a later date if this concerns you. From examining your x-rays your dentist probably feels that the root canal treatment would be too difficult to do to a high standard in a general dental practice and is hence advising that if this is the treatment that you require then it is best done by a specialist is this area who has the best equipment, microscopes etc.
At the end of the day the decision is up to you. Do you want to save the tooth? Be warned that you may still need the tooth extracted if the RCT doesn't work!
If you still have concerns my best advice is to speak to your dentist!