Most Endos will give you an idea of what chance they give the tooth. If it's only a 20% chance do you really want to spend all that money? It's a decision only you can make, but generally, you would do well do be guided by your specialist.
I think what that person/dentist was trying to say is that the tooth had ONE extra CANAL. Yes, a front tooth only has one root, but occasionally they can have an extra canal. This is well-known by endodontists, but not so much be general dentists. In fact, it is pretty widely accepted now that upper molars often have four canals, whereas previously it was thought they usually only had three. Endodontists are trying to get this information out to general dentists, as it's a pretty common reason for RCT to fail. If you don't fill in every single canal it's so easy for bacteria to move into the root again, and cause infection. The extra canal is often very small, and difficult to locate, hence why they're mostly missed. Endodontists use specialist equipment, such as microscopes, to give them a better chance of successfully completing the RCT.
ETA I should say that general dentists usually do a great job of RCT - it's just not always simple, and it's great when they know when to refer a patient.
Thanks everyone for your replies. I went to the doctors a couple of weeks ago and got some antibiotics which made a bit of a difference. the ache is not completely gone though. I went and saw an endodontist this afternoon who took an xray and examined the tooth and said that there was no sign of infection. he commented on the root canal work that the dentist did on the tooth in december and said she used thermafill and he would never use that as a root filler. he said the filler didnt go down far enough and fell short and he would take the filler all the way down the canal. he said the filling was too high and he would lower it and seal it with some protective plastic. he also said that there appeared to be some opaque bits on the lower right side of the tooth which he wont know what it is until he goes in there but said it could be a bit of instrument??
all in all he wants to re do the work and repeat the root canal in the tooth. he said the first bit he will treat and medicate the tooth and 4-6 weeks later he will fill it all for a lazy $1600!!! this tooth has cost me a fortune!
i told him i researched implants and he laughed at me and said they wouldnt put an implant to replace tooth number 32 as there isnt enough room and the gum wouldnt handle it!!! so i freaked out again haha and still wonder how they would replace the tooth if RC fails me again.
YDI, it sounds as though the endodontist was quite honest with you, which is good. It's such a bummer that this tooth is costing you so much money though! No way around it unfortunately. Don't stress about the 'what ifs'. Whatever happens, there is no way you should need to walk around with a tooth missing! There is always a way to replace it. If it comes to that, I would see a prosthodontist, they will give you the best advice. But hopefully it won't get to that point!
Good luck with the RCT, and please let us know the outcome
If its any consolation, single rooted teeth usually respond the best to retreatment. I had a case a year or so ago where a friend of mine was quoted 7K for an implant to replace a failing RCT. We managed to save the tooth with a simple re treatment that cost less than a 10th of the implant cost. It was a gamble, but well worth it in that case.
Thermafil isnt necessarily a bad technique. Im not a huge fan of it but if the canal is sterile at the time of obturation (filling) it shouldnt matter what the canal is sealed with. Current research seems to point to success depending on how well the tooth is sealed at the top level rather than the root canal system. It still seems counter intuitive to me, but thems the facts from the researchers.
Never the less, redoing the root canal is often the better and less expensive choice than doing an implant. Endodontists often have access to microscopes to make sure there arent any hidden extra canals.
Fingers crossed for you, Im sure you will get a good result now.
Yeah! lol... well the xfiles was big when I went through uni.... Agent Mulder.. Agent Molar.
He he.. I asked for permission to post here in case someone thought I was trawling for patients. Frankly being a dental nerd is fun, its too interesting a topic. I noticed a few ex /current dental nurses posting here.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks