Difficult tooth extraction
Discussion
Eleven days ago I had a tooth extraction, the tooth sheared off at the gum line and they just couldn’t get the root out. They couldn’t get a grip on it, tried several different things etc. So they referred me urgently to a dental surgeon, gave me a five day course of antibiotics in the meantime and sent me off home. The first few days were difficult beyond belief with pain, currently I’m managing with just ibuprofen four times a day/night. The roof of my mouth has a lot of squishy pouching next to the remaining root, pain going up my face, ear and head. Plus a hole in my gum that is not healing at all with the tooth root still in situ.
I rang the original dentist today who only replied with come back and we can have another go, maybe give some better pain relief and to be prepared to wait up to several weeks for the dental surgeon to be in touch.
This seems rather brutal to me and I’m not happy that this line of treatment I’m getting is correct or fair. I’ve no details for the surgeon to chase him direct either.
Anybody have any advice for me or can point me in the direction of where to go with this?
I rang the original dentist today who only replied with come back and we can have another go, maybe give some better pain relief and to be prepared to wait up to several weeks for the dental surgeon to be in touch.
This seems rather brutal to me and I’m not happy that this line of treatment I’m getting is correct or fair. I’ve no details for the surgeon to chase him direct either.
Anybody have any advice for me or can point me in the direction of where to go with this?
Yes. Sit tight and wait. Sometimes extractions can be very difficult. If the tooth comes out easily, suddenly I'm the best dentist on Earth. If it is fused to the bone or so badly decayed that it can't be removed with conventional methods, suddenly I'm the worst dentist on the planet.
You need to manage the pain and wait for the oral surgeon to see you and extract surgically i.e. drilling bone away around the roots to remove the remnants of the tooth.
If you don't want to wait, you can find a private oral surgeon somewhere who may be able to see you sooner.
You say you aren't happy with the management thus far. I'm afraid that's just dentistry in the UK and your dentist has behaved the same as the rest of us. I wouldn't even have offered to have another go, so seems like he/she is really trying to help you.
You need to manage the pain and wait for the oral surgeon to see you and extract surgically i.e. drilling bone away around the roots to remove the remnants of the tooth.
If you don't want to wait, you can find a private oral surgeon somewhere who may be able to see you sooner.
You say you aren't happy with the management thus far. I'm afraid that's just dentistry in the UK and your dentist has behaved the same as the rest of us. I wouldn't even have offered to have another go, so seems like he/she is really trying to help you.
Get yourself on cocodamols 8/500 to start if they don’t knock the pain down try 30/500s.
I was in my dentists chair for 5 hours until 7:45 at night whilst he tried to extract the root of the tooth in the back of my bottom jaw. I had so many injections it was ridiculous. He almost broke other teeth when his tools slipped off whilst pulling hard. In the end he said he’d cut the root in half to aid the extraction. That didn’t work either. In the end I’d told him I’d had enough as I was knackered by then and blood sugars had dropped. Didn’t book a follow up as he said my body would reject the root and eventually it would come out on its own. Last appt must have been prepandemic it’s still not out but is sticking out of the gum a bit more, think I’ll be moving dentists even though I’ve used the same family for nearly 50 years (grandfather, son and grandson).
Good luck with yours
I was in my dentists chair for 5 hours until 7:45 at night whilst he tried to extract the root of the tooth in the back of my bottom jaw. I had so many injections it was ridiculous. He almost broke other teeth when his tools slipped off whilst pulling hard. In the end he said he’d cut the root in half to aid the extraction. That didn’t work either. In the end I’d told him I’d had enough as I was knackered by then and blood sugars had dropped. Didn’t book a follow up as he said my body would reject the root and eventually it would come out on its own. Last appt must have been prepandemic it’s still not out but is sticking out of the gum a bit more, think I’ll be moving dentists even though I’ve used the same family for nearly 50 years (grandfather, son and grandson).
Good luck with yours
I couldn’t take the pain and went back Wednesday. A different dentist said it was so infected that he had to try and remove it or ring the hospital and have it taken out immediately. After a ton more jabs, including one in the roof of my mouth, he did finally get it all out. Flushed through and antibiotics given. Honestly I’d rather give birth than go through that again. I was happy to pay privately to see a surgeon, even then they said it will be February. I can’t see how they can leave folk in such a bad place for that long.
Was this NHS treatment to start off with? I've nothing against NHS dentistry especially the older dentists who have been at it for a few years as they seem to have a more sensible approach - well mine did until he retired on me!
Suddently with this new 'oufit' and actual treatment beyond a check-up seems to have in inbuilt delay of several weeks. My old dentist would undertake a filling either the same day I presented with an 'issue' of within a few days of first seeing me and that includes root canal work. Now to have a leaking filling replaced I'm given an appointment in 7-weeks time with what I can see no additional demand or increase in patients.
If a root canal is required then they won't do it on NHS becuase I've got other teeth in place to assist with chewing etc. They'll take it out or I suspect if a RCT is needed I'll be offered their private treatment plan given they are part of a private dental group. The cynic in me suggests I'm left to suffer the hot/cold leaking filling for a long period that is likely to aggravate the roots meaning I'll be told when I eventually get into the chair a RCT is the only outcome.
Makes me wonder why they took on a NHS practice unless there's govt money in it. Where it is they won't get much private custom from the locals.
Suddently with this new 'oufit' and actual treatment beyond a check-up seems to have in inbuilt delay of several weeks. My old dentist would undertake a filling either the same day I presented with an 'issue' of within a few days of first seeing me and that includes root canal work. Now to have a leaking filling replaced I'm given an appointment in 7-weeks time with what I can see no additional demand or increase in patients.
If a root canal is required then they won't do it on NHS becuase I've got other teeth in place to assist with chewing etc. They'll take it out or I suspect if a RCT is needed I'll be offered their private treatment plan given they are part of a private dental group. The cynic in me suggests I'm left to suffer the hot/cold leaking filling for a long period that is likely to aggravate the roots meaning I'll be told when I eventually get into the chair a RCT is the only outcome.
Makes me wonder why they took on a NHS practice unless there's govt money in it. Where it is they won't get much private custom from the locals.
It was nhs, they still charged me as well. Then charged me for the removal again this week. I was just grateful to get it taken out. I know they’re under pressure and it’s not easy. Aesthetic dental work I would expect to go private for, but root canals and the usual fillings I would still have as nhs. If they are starting to refuse to do them, this is only going one way.
With mine, it was more the way I was left to wait for a surgeon. Five months wait time, no way is that fair on anyone. I wasn’t blaming the dentist for being unable to do the extraction, just the waiting time to be helped.
With mine, it was more the way I was left to wait for a surgeon. Five months wait time, no way is that fair on anyone. I wasn’t blaming the dentist for being unable to do the extraction, just the waiting time to be helped.
My wife is a dental surgeon and these difficult extractions are routine procedures in clinic where she works.
Some dentists who refer these cases are often just back heeling them because they can't be arsed with the time needed, associated risks and compensation chasing patients. They get referred back to the practice if they are deemed to be taking the piss mind.
Some dentists who refer these cases are often just back heeling them because they can't be arsed with the time needed, associated risks and compensation chasing patients. They get referred back to the practice if they are deemed to be taking the piss mind.
elanfan said:
Get yourself on cocodamols 8/500 to start if they don’t knock the pain down try 30/500s.
I was in my dentists chair for 5 hours until 7:45 at night whilst he tried to extract the root of the tooth in the back of my bottom jaw. I had so many injections it was ridiculous. He almost broke other teeth when his tools slipped off whilst pulling hard. In the end he said he’d cut the root in half to aid the extraction. That didn’t work either. In the end I’d told him I’d had enough as I was knackered by then and blood sugars had dropped. Didn’t book a follow up as he said my body would reject the root and eventually it would come out on its own. Last appt must have been prepandemic it’s still not out but is sticking out of the gum a bit more, think I’ll be moving dentists even though I’ve used the same family for nearly 50 years (grandfather, son and grandson).
Good luck with yours
5 hours? So he started at 2.45pm and it went on til 7.45pm?I was in my dentists chair for 5 hours until 7:45 at night whilst he tried to extract the root of the tooth in the back of my bottom jaw. I had so many injections it was ridiculous. He almost broke other teeth when his tools slipped off whilst pulling hard. In the end he said he’d cut the root in half to aid the extraction. That didn’t work either. In the end I’d told him I’d had enough as I was knackered by then and blood sugars had dropped. Didn’t book a follow up as he said my body would reject the root and eventually it would come out on its own. Last appt must have been prepandemic it’s still not out but is sticking out of the gum a bit more, think I’ll be moving dentists even though I’ve used the same family for nearly 50 years (grandfather, son and grandson).
Good luck with yours
If you say so. I bet he had his "knee in your chest" as well LOL
sparkyhx said:
I was 2hrs in the chair for an extraction, they were 'disecting the root' I think they called it. I think they cut the tooth into 4 quadrants and extracted it one root at a time. bloody nightmare
I had that done. I had neck muscle pain for a couple of days afterwards. I couldn't turn my head to the left. Quite brutal.My father did his own dental work - full set of dentures by the time he was 50 - and he reckoned the way to deal with the extraction of a molar was to take a week or so just pushing the tooth from side to side and back and forward. Typical father, he told me this just after I'd had the extraction.
I just had a difficult tooth extraction also. The first Dentist was relatively inexperienced and gave up halfway through the extraction, but not before crashing half my molar off. He advised a more experienced Dentist. At the time I was livid and assume he just didn’t want the hassle.
I travelled across the country to see a Dentist who I hadn’t seen in years, but I trusted. He said he could have a go at it, but if it was his tooth, he would put up with the pain and see a specialist because it can be quite a tricky job to get the broken tooth out if there is complications such as fused roots connected to the jawbone. But he offered to do it.
So I forgave the original dentist and paid for a specialist to do it , cost about 300 quid. Found a couple that could do it within a week. Took what seems like hours, but I think in reality was more like 45 minutes. 2 days later and most of the time it’s painless. (It doesn’t sound right that even a private dentist was a 5 month wait?)
Moral of the story is, don’t wait weeks to get it done. It’s 300 quid. I don’t think there is any financial situation where it’s worth delaying this to save the money. Pay for it on a credit card if needs be. It’s one of those things where you can’t work or concentrate with this kind of thing going on, it’s false economy to wait. (Also false economy for nhs to not better fund dentistry….)
I travelled across the country to see a Dentist who I hadn’t seen in years, but I trusted. He said he could have a go at it, but if it was his tooth, he would put up with the pain and see a specialist because it can be quite a tricky job to get the broken tooth out if there is complications such as fused roots connected to the jawbone. But he offered to do it.
So I forgave the original dentist and paid for a specialist to do it , cost about 300 quid. Found a couple that could do it within a week. Took what seems like hours, but I think in reality was more like 45 minutes. 2 days later and most of the time it’s painless. (It doesn’t sound right that even a private dentist was a 5 month wait?)
Moral of the story is, don’t wait weeks to get it done. It’s 300 quid. I don’t think there is any financial situation where it’s worth delaying this to save the money. Pay for it on a credit card if needs be. It’s one of those things where you can’t work or concentrate with this kind of thing going on, it’s false economy to wait. (Also false economy for nhs to not better fund dentistry….)
Edited by lizardbrain on Sunday 14th May 20:54
All the posters can at least know that their stories have helped scare my teenage son back to caring for his teeth. I have tried numerous times to tell him of the mind numbing pain I experienced and just laughed at me.
It's the modern day equivalent of my father saying he walked to school in bare feet
Not one of my kids have a filling or ever suffered any pain thankfully and he has been go as gold until recently but this and a few other articles have made him get back to excellent oral hygiene.
It's the modern day equivalent of my father saying he walked to school in bare feet
Not one of my kids have a filling or ever suffered any pain thankfully and he has been go as gold until recently but this and a few other articles have made him get back to excellent oral hygiene.
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