Advice on dental treatment please!

hellodolly

Hi anyone who can help advise me. I'm 34 and a smoker (doesnt help teeth, i know ).

My teeth are starting to go downhill; i've had one root canal but i think i need more (just had one filled, was told i need root canal in near future) I have soft teeth - straight and good to look at from the outside, but i've loads of fillings.

I want to get things sorted out and i'm considering getting 6-8 root canals done as i feel i'm going to need them in the next couple of years anyway. I have pain or at least discomfort everytime i eat and the pain is unbearable when they get really aggravated. I've had enough of taking painkillers and antibiotics; they're costing me a fortune!

My question is: (a) Can i get this amount of work done all in one day - though not costing more than say €2k-€3k.

(b) I know it can be done cheaper abroad, but i'd be a bit nervous about getting treatment done so far from home.

If anyone could give me any advice, i'd be very grateful.

davo10

hellodolly, sounds like you need some treatment, but you also want some elective treatment "in case it hurts in the future". Don't.

Root treatments denervate the tooth, it is therefore more brittle afterwards and more prone to fracture. Only have treatment on the teeth where it is needed. root canals are usually not completed in one visit, at least two is the norm. It takes me approx 2 hours to complete a molar root treatment so 8 could take 2 whole days of clinical time. Prepare also for crowns on the teeth in the future.
Lastly, of all treatments i would not travel abroad for root canals, they are difficult and not all dentists can do them well, be it here or abroad. They may take more than one visit and should not be done "on the clock" at the cheapest price. Remember, if he/she blows it, the tooth comes out.

Mink

I feel for you. Same thing with me, teeth nice to look at but need fillings and root canals galore, despite good dental hygiene.
I had an abcess under a back tooth and was told about this 2yrs ago. Quoted 1600 just to sort out the one tooth (triple root canal & crown) so I put it off, but really I was putting it off as I'm terrified of dental work!

I let it fester and stupidly went to another 3 dentists to try and get different opinions and prices. Looked into going abroad - but that really makes me nervous. Ended up registering with the dental hospital. Got 2 exams and finally booked in for treatment 9mths after registering. My dentist is lovely & very understanding re my fears.
Went in for the root canal yesterday but ended up getting it extracted as after they saw the x-rays they said wasn't an amazingly high chance of saving the tooth even after root canals so I opt'd for extraction and I'm going to get a bridge. Dental Hospital is way cheaper but the appointments are take it or leave it so I'm taking it out of holiday time. Also, I was very very luck re the student I got, she's brilliant & the supervisor assigned is great too. However, you don't really know what you're going to get going in there.

Sorry for long post, moral of my story is don't go abroad & don't wait to get it done. If I was not such a chicken, I probably could have saved the tooth!
Be prepared to have the treatment spread over a few weeks (you're mouth has to recover in between the bits you do )and if you're really strapped for cash, get big work done at the hospital & smaller bits done at local dentist for convenience.

fonpokno

hellodolly, I don't have much advice for you but I just wouldn't recommend getting a lot of root canals done just because you think you might need them. If you're worried about the cost rather than going abroad then maybe travel up to the North to get work done there? It's quite a bit cheaper especially with the current exchange rate and if you have any problems then at least you're on the same island.

Mink wrote: »

Ended up registering with the dental hospital. Got 2 exams and finally booked in for treatment 9mths after registering. My dentist is lovely & very understanding re my fears.

Dental Hospital is way cheaper but the appointments are take it or leave it so I'm taking it out of holiday time. Also, I was very very luck re the student I got, she's brilliant & the supervisor assigned is great too. However, you don't really know what you're going to get going in there.

The Dental Hospital is absolutely fantastic. I've been attending the hospital 10 years and in that time I've had 8 students and about another 10 of the supervisors and consultants work on my teeth. The care my family have received in there is second to none. I really cannot say enough about them, they're absolutely fantastic.