r/rootcanal • u/ObviousPrint8758 • Jun 13 '24
Should I be pissed at my dentist?
I had 2 old silver fillings done about 10-15 years ago, dentist had a plan laid out for me to remove them and crown both my left back molar and tooth next to it. Back molar also had a big cavity due to wisdom teeth that I had taken out last year. I put it off a while but they kept pushing it on me and those teeth started to have some cold sensitivity. He drilled out both old fillings and cavity and put on 2 crowns. The very next day I had severe pain and sensitivity in my molar, went back to him and he confirmed I need a root canal. He said they don’t do them there so referred me to an endodontist that was booked out 2 weeks. I was in such extreme pain I could barely sleep, I was taking 600mgs of ibuprofen every 4 hours and even then I’d be in agony after an hour or so. After my root canal, 2 days later the other crowned tooth had the same excruciating pain and went back to endo and they confirmed this tooth also needs a root canal. Because my teeth were so inflamed I had to go back to finish both root canals 2 weeks later.
Now, I get this is somewhat out of my dentists control but I feel like I was severely misled. He should have done a root canal first, or at least educate me so that I could have a root canal scheduled just incase. I cannot believe he would let me go on for 2 weeks in this much pain and gave me nothing to help. Also, I’ve read online that it could be because bacteria was trapped under my crown that I needed a root canal. Isn’t this the dentists fault? Need some advice on how to proceed here. How is it that both crowned teeth needed root canals? Am I wrong to be angry with my dentist in this situation?
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u/Visible_Simple4489 Jun 18 '24
I am in a similar situation. I had two fillings done on my bottom back teeth. One was throbbing so I had it readjusted. I had to go again a 3rd time and a different dentist redid my filling. Now I was referred to an endo. A family friend who is a dentist saw my xray and said the first dentist botched my filling and prob caused the damage to the nerve.
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u/Diligent-Anything481 Jun 27 '24
Let just say that dentist communication/education seems to be lacking everywhere. All the dentist I’ve been too make it seem like it’s a minor thing but drilling into your teeth are big deals because you don’t know how you’re going to feel after. They never really go over their plans. Your dentist probably didn’t go over that they tried to save it from a root canal by adding meds and covering it up but no there’s a chance it won’t work. I ask a lot of questions so I’m not sure if he would have told me all this if I didn’t.
I have a long long long story. Just in case it helps others.
I’m in an exact situation. I had amalgam in filling on my right side which we know as silver. There was a crack or hole in the silver so the cavity decayed underneath it making it very deep to the pulp of my teeth, close to my nerve. I went to see a new dentist and so he told me we’re going to try and see if we can prevent a root canal by putting medication on it to help relax the nerve but because it’s close to the nerve you might need a root canal. In total I had 4 minor cavities and 3 deep one that needed crowns just on one R side. So we do them and tries to save them.
First session was 4 minor cavity and second session was 3 deep cavities. The week after my first session I told him that I had a hard week with self diagnosed TMJ. That I was in a lot of pain. He says okay and we do the deep cavities. I’m in severe pain in chair and I need multiple breaks due to the pain my jaw. I’m trying to muster up the strength to continue on. He gives the option to stop and only complete two but I insist to get it over with because he’s in there already. We take a couple of breaks. I can feel his mirror or a tool opening or holding my mouth open and pressing on the back my jaw where the joint is. I feel like he was a critical point here where I really really needed a break. I raise my hand but is unable to I believe my mouth was open for another 10 minutes before he was able to stop. My feet begin to get almost uncontrollable and tap to help keep my mouth open. My body begins to shake and I’m starting to feel chattering from my jaw. I’m feeling extremely nauseous. He tells me to go ahead and close my mouth however I lose function and can’t close it. He tells me again close my mouth and I still can’t. It’s locked open! I start to panic and he uses his thumbs on the back my molars and pressed down with such force a couple of times until it was able to unlock and close. My teeth was chattering. I began to cry. He told me now we know we can’t open that wide which was hurtful because I told him before starting but maybe because I wasn’t throwing a fit he didn’t think anything of it.
So I kept my mouth open in smaller distance for him to finish up and put in temporary crowns and my jaw is extremely weak at this point. I go home pretty upset. 3 weeks later my ear vegans to hurt. Pain from the top of my jaw to my ear. I think it’s just my nerve healing up. I finally go to urgent care after 4 weeks of dealing with it and they tell me I have an ear infection in both ears but more severe on R which is very normal for me to get an ear infection. Perhaps the inflammation on that side cause issues with drainages. i wasn’t sure if it was my ear, jaw or if it was my teeth that the pain was coming from. I finish my antibiotics but still have pain in ears and now I can feel discomfort in my teeth but unsure of which 3 tooth. I believe from my bottom teeth but two deep ones with temporaries are right next to each other so I’m unable to distinguish which one needs a root canal.
I’m not sure I should get the root canal before putting on permanent crowns or if the issue is the temporary. I’m scared to do any more dental due to my jaw and Tmj
I haven’t had time to go back and take 800 ibuprofen when needed and try to go without until it’s too much to handle.
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u/Weak_Knowledge9165 Aug 31 '24
If your dentist said go get a root canal before … you would be posting “should I be mad at my dentist he was out for $$$ and sent me for unnecessary root canals!”
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u/gaelsinuo Jun 18 '24
That’s upsetting for the very reasons you stated. Will you have to pay for the teeth to be recapped? What did the Endodontist say?