Should i have to pay again?

Bluefoxx

hi, about two years ago i got a root canal procedure done with my local dentist.The tooth was pretty much gone and all that was left was less than 3/4 of the outer shell of my tooth. He said that another dentist would have probably just pulled it out but he said that he could try and save it. Since it was one of my back molars i really didn't want to just pull it out so i agreed. He did a great job at the time and i had a virtually painless root canal and had no pain in the area in the past two years. He built up around the shell of the tooth with white filling and it looked and felt fine. It cost about 900 euro at the time which i thought was a fair price. The problem is that about a week ago i was chewing gum and the entire white filling fell out and left the gum exposed. I rang the dentist and he has since re done the procedure. Now i'm not sure of the ins and outs of what he did, terrible i know,but it looks like it is built up with white filling and is kind of bonded to the tooth beside it.When i was leaving the receptionist said that it would be 450 for the procedure. i haven't paid yet as i have to go back next week for a filling and she said that i could settle the bill then. Since then though i have been wondering should i really have to pay that much again. The root canal was only done two years ago. Fair enough,I didn't go back for a check-up, but two years seem a very short time for it to last. Thanks in advance for any advice

res ipsa

He should have sent you to an endodontist for the root canal, and then put a crown on afterwards, i wouldn't pay that bill if i were you.

vishal

It sounds like the RCT did not fail.
Some dentists can do quality RCT and some can't. Those you can't refer out. There is no reason for that blanket statement.

It sound like the tooth failed.

Normally a crown is placed on a back molar post RCT. However, sometimes if the tooth is missing so much tooth structure then a crown can sometimes make the tooth even weaker.
Dentist will normally recommend extraction rather than doing all of this when the prognosis is so very poor.
If the patient accepts this and still wants to try then it is your choice.

If the dentist did recommend a crown post RCT and you didn't follow his advice, then how can it be his fault?

You should agree prices before any procedure so there are no surprises.
You should feel comfortable with your dentist discussing your 450e charge.

res ipsa

450 lids for a filling that was done 2 years ago?
C'mon,a crown will make a tooth stronger on a molar not weaker, & prevent it fracturing.
However if he told the patient & documented it in the notes that a crown was needed, that is a different matter.
A lot of the time the have -a- go heros do a crappy endo & are rightly afraid to put a crown over their shoddy work.
A fraud on the public.

vishal

450 does sound a bit much, but that's between the patient and dentist.

a crown does not always make a tooth stronger, if you have a thin amount of peripheral tooth structure and you prep it all away, you're left with nothing. sometimes onlays are more appropriate.
Anyway this is not something to discuss on these boards.

You can't have a discussion without knowing both sides of the story, therefore, there are no need for blanket statements (it's irresponsible imho)