Dentist recommeded root canal..but

AllForIt

I had a 20yo filling fail, all of a sudden the tooth snapped and a bit chunk of the tooth fell out, leaving a large hole and a sharp edge to the remaining tooth.

I didn't feel any pain in it at all. The dentist recommended I have a root canal or pull it.

I really could not afford the root canal treatment so I told her to just fill it. I declined an x-ray. I didn't really want the added cost of the x-ray and because I didn't feel any pain whatsoever I didn't wan't to see it and agree with the dentist that I needed a root canal. Ostrich head in ground going on here defiantly but a/ I couldn't afford it, and b/ I didn't' want to go through the root canal treatment.

The dentist said she can fill it but gave it six months before I would feel pain in it before I would need the root canal. Actually she said it would have to be pulled.

I opted for white filling because she said it would bond better to the tooth than a grey one, so given the state of the tooth I though that would be a good idea and be worth the extra expense. It's third or forth from the centre so for cosmetic reasons I tough it would look better.

I'm very happy with the result of the white filling. It looks good and I feel the tooth looks totally restored. I think she did a very good job.

So the question is, why does the dentist think that I'm going to need a root canal treatment in 6 months. Also, I wasn't quite clear what the dentist meant because she said that it would have be pulled in 6 months in her estimation. I was wondering if she meant that because I had it filled that that meant that root canal treatment wasn't an option anymore. Is having a root canal treatment still an option for me in the future, or because of getting a filling is that now ruled out. I would say there is about 1/3 of the original tooth above the gum line still remaining.

davo10

A large chunk of your tooth broke and you didn't feel any pain at all tells both you and the dentist that the nerve is necrotic/dead. The dead nerve eventually triggers an abscess, but when is difficult to predict, it could be a week, a month, a year.

The long term prognosis for your tooth is dependent on how much of the tooth is remaining after the root canal, if very little, it will fracture easily so the root canal is a lengthy and expensive treatment with little benefit unless the tooth can be saved for 5-10 years.

By opting for a filling on what seems to be a premolar, the dentist had to shape the cavity to retain the filling, probably very little tooth now remaining, it sounds like the filling/wall of your tooth had broken off. If you had a root canal, more of the tooth could have been preserved for a post crown afterwards, that probably isn't an option now. Also, if you bite on something hard, there is a high probability the remaining wall will break because it is so weak, once that happens there will no longer be any tooth structure left to support a filling or crown.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

The dentist that has seen this tooth is the best person to ask these questions to, anything on here is speculation. The tooth may well require a root canal or you might get lucky and not need one. The dentist will know more about your situation, the decay and the proximity of the nerve to the surface and or the decay.

AllForIt

Abdiel Scary Signal wrote: »

The dentist that has seen this tooth is the best person to ask these questions to, anything on here is speculation. The tooth may well require a root canal or you might get lucky and not need one. The dentist will know more about your situation, the decay and the proximity of the nerve to the surface and or the decay.

Yes of course but davo10 did actually answer the question very well and I do feel I understand the situation much better now.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

AllForIt wrote: »

Yes of course but davo10 did actually answer the question very well and I do feel I understand the situation much better now.

Thats good, however that information is based on your explanation of the situation, this may or may not be the entire truth. The dentist may have noticed a exposure of the nerve during the filling, the dentist may have run sensibility tests of the tooth prior to the filling, the X-ray may have shown other issues. The root canal might have been needed for post placement to retain a crown.

Davo10's interpretation may be exactly on the money. Who knows? My point is that the information given here is meany a generalisation and may not reflect the nuances your actual situation.

AllForIt

Abdiel Scary Signal wrote: »

Thats good, however that information is based on your explanation of the situation, this may or may not be the entire truth. The dentist may have noticed a exposure of the nerve during the filling, the dentist may have run sensibility tests of the tooth prior to the filling, the X-ray may have shown other issues. The root canal might have been needed for post placement to retain a crown.

Davo10's interpretation may be exactly on the money. Who knows? My point is that the information given here is meany a generalisation and may not reflect the nuances your actual situation.

That's useful info as well and I will take it on board, thanks !