Is Dentist At Fault

Telp

Hi,

I have been visiting the dentist getting work done for the last 4 months now. The work to date has been mainly fillings and all had seemed to be going well. about a month ago i was given a filling on my number 6 tooth (not entirely sure this is accurate), there was a small hole (i think?) which the dentist drilled and filled.

I noticed in the subsequent days that some of the filling compound had joined that tooth to one of its neighbours. I thought nothing of it. During the week after that piece of compound broke off and took a piece of my tooth with it which left alot of discomfort eating (having to floss after every meal).

i went back to the dentist at the end of the week where he drilled away alot of the tooth to make the surface smooth. But i think he took too much. He subsequently started treating the root (2 visits involving hydrogen peroxide and temp fillings).

The treatment hasn't worked and now i'm told my options are root canal €650 and crown which will probably not work or extraction.

So to summise i started off getting a filling and this is where i am now. Is the dentist at fault? if so what is the solution? should i expect a free extraction and bridge? the gap will be very big and cause eating to be difficult.

Any response from similar experiences or professionals would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Telp.

P.S. my tooth is highly sensitive now to the point where i can not bite. I have been perscribed Mentazole (something like that)... anyway time is an issue.... thanks again. sorry for long thread

BryanL

any tooth that gets a filling is at greater risk of breaking or of the nerve becoming sensitive/dying.
fillings are placed after decay is removed to stop it spreading further,but the tooth thats left is always weaker and the nerve is at greater risk of having problems and needing treatment(root canal treatment)
the dentist is unable to predict how someones tooth is going to respond to any treatment.
who'd blame a doctor if they had a heart attack after a bypass?
Bryan

Telp

Thanks for the reply Bryan.

I can appreciate that the results of Dental procedures are unpredictable and can lead to other complications in general. I have a good relationship with this dentist and after receiving a bit of work from him i am happy that he is more than competent.

But i believe that people can make mistakes in any profession. Your analogy with the doctor is quite valid. But what if my dentist, in this particular instance, made a mistake? I'm sure mistakes happen. It does in the medical profession and when it is noticed the doctors take responsibility as in all professions.

I must stress that i dont hold any animosity or ill feelings towards my dentist as i know he would never purposely damage my teeth and deep down i hope it is just a bad reaction/some misfortune for all concerned (mostly me ).

I made an appointment with another dentist for an exam and his opinion on the matter.

JacksonHeightsOwn

i had similar problems with a dentist i visited last year, went in for routine fillings, a fair few it has to be said

the most annoying thing is, after getting about 7 fillings, i then had to get route canal, that was about 7 months ago now, and the tooth i had root canal on has never been the same, extremly sensitive to hot and cold items, and i can basically only eat on one side of my mouth

i couldnt bring myelf to go back to the dentist, the pain i had after that root canal treatment was shocking, 2 weeks of throbbing, and i couldnt go through it again

if you have to get root canal, see an endodontist, that`d be my advice