Q.
Approximatly 9 months ago I had root canal treatment and a crown fitted to a Molar bottom right. I was told by the dentist that one of the roots was a bit ‘sticky’ and she was having trouble with it. In fact the treatment went on for several visits Approx 5 X 1 hour sessions because she said she couldn’t get the root right. I am obviously not an expert but I was telling her things did not feel right more or less from the completion of the crown. Meanwhile she advised that I continue to have several other mercury fillings replaced with white fillings as they were very old and needed re-doing. (I have spent approx £2200 in total including the crowns so far) approx one filling a month. When I said things did not feel right and I could not localise where or how it didn’t feel right I was told it was probably my gums. With all the work I was having done it was very difficult for me to be exact about how odd it felt. I recently had another smaller crown that went without incident so I have now been able to compare the feeling and have today informed her that something is wrong with the first crown. She says it maybe the root. X-ray does not show anything untoward no infection obvious but it feels tender under the tooth this is the only way I can describe it I also feel slight discomfort if I bite down on it. She says when this tratment is done there is never any certainty to it and that if it doesn’t settle down she could refer me to an expert to carry out and another root canal and crown she says this may cost around £1300 or she could crown the tooth behind which at the moment has a good filling nothing else wrong and bridge over the troublesome tooth after an extraction. I am writing because firstly I am wondering if I have any come back regarding the first procedure. Which cost in excess of £500 (I know this is a reasonable) but now with options of either £650 -£700) for her suggestion or £1300 for a specialist it isn’t that good a price is it because it hasn’t worked. I do have insurance taken out through the practice I believe it has given me 20% off the full prices. Perhaps she should have referred me in the first place I just don’t know. She appeared to have so much trouble with it from the begining, it just doesn’t seem rightthat in less than a year I have to pay all over again. Obviously the person advising me is the person who ‘may’ have made a mistake and I have lost some confidence in her. I am a single parent of three and this is money I can not afford, when I explained how difficult things were financially she said that if I left things there was a risk it to the jaw bone and this would lead to severe problems. She has given me a course of antibiotics just in case and I’m to go back in a week with a decision. I don’t know where to go for advice or what to do Please can you advise me. Many thanks