I had a fall that led to a concussion and some fractured teeth. We went to the E.R., where he was treated and then our dentist scheduled an appointment for a week later. There was no pain in the teeth, only dried blood. So, the dentist said it only needed a crown, which was placed within a few weeks. A month later, I ended up with an emergency root canal treatment. I was given a 4 day prescription of Amoxicillin. A week later the root canal treatment was completed, but I was still in a tremendous amount of pain. I went back a couple of weeks later still in pain, I went back and the dentist could not figure out the problem so instead did a root canal on the tooth next to the one giving me a problem. There has still been no relief and I am worried I’m going to end up losing a tooth unnecessarily. Do you have any advice for me?
Daniel
Dear Daniel,
What a nightmare! I am sorry this happened to you. Your dentist really blew this and I think you are entitled to a refund. If you end up losing this tooth, your dentist should pay for the replacement of your choosing, with the dentist of your choosing as well. However, let’s hope we can save this tooth.
I want you to schedule an emergency dental appointment with root canal specialist. They’re called endodontists. Do this as soon as possible because your infection has been there a while and I am certain it is spreading. You don’t want it to end up outside of your jaw. This can turn a dental infection into something life threatening.
Now, as to your refund. If your dentist gives you trouble about this, let me give you some mistakes they made that may help. First, your dentist should have known at the first appointment to do a root canal treatment. With the fact that they found dried blood, that should have been an obvious sign about the need for the treatment. Next, when they finally did do the root canal treatment, they used, what I would consider the wrong antibiotic. Plus, the stopped it too soon. They should have kept your antibiotic going until after your root canal treatment was completed, not several days before which allowed the infection to flourish again. Then, when the pain started and didn’t go away, why didn’t they x-ray the tooth instead of doing an unnecessary procedure on a tooth that wasn’t even hurting you.
Again, I’m sorry this happened to you.
This blog is brought to you by Enfield Dentist Dr. William Cummiskey.
