The radiograph pictured here tells a painful story and could so easily have been avoided. The patient self referred to me because she was in much pain after a root canal treatment by her dentist. Her dentist initially advised extraction the tooth but, rightfully, she wanted it saved.
If you look at the radiograph you will see that two roots have been over-filled with the root canal filling material extruded from the end of the tooth. No surprise the patient was in pain. Each time she went back to her dentist, the pain level increased and she was put on another course of antibiotics – 4 course of antibiotics in total. I must stress that this is unusual and the dentists we work with are skilled clinicians who know when to treat and when to refer.
Sadly the tooth had a poor prognosis and the only solution was to extract it. What a shame and a waste. This tooth would have had an excellent prognosis if treated by the correct hands.
My advice to all patients offered a root canal treatment by their dentist – “Should I be referred to a Specialist Endodontist to do the root canal treatment?”. It may not always be practical, but at least you know that all avenues were explored before you said yes to the treatment.
In this instance, the dentist should definitely have referred the treatment rather than attempting it.
Not for the squeamish
The radiograph pictured here tells a painful story and could so easily have been avoided. The patient self referred to me because she was in much pain after a root canal treatment by her dentist. Her dentist initially advised extraction the tooth but, rightfully, she wanted it saved.
If you look at the radiograph you will see that two roots have been over-filled with the root canal filling material extruded from the end of the tooth. No surprise the patient was in pain. Each time she went back to her dentist, the pain level increased and she was put on another course of antibiotics – 4 course of antibiotics in total. I must stress that this is unusual and the dentists we work with are skilled clinicians who know when to treat and when to refer.
Sadly the tooth had a poor prognosis and the only solution was to extract it. What a shame and a waste. This tooth would have had an excellent prognosis if treated by the correct hands.
My advice to all patients offered a root canal treatment by their dentist – “Should I be referred to a Specialist Endodontist to do the root canal treatment?”. It may not always be practical, but at least you know that all avenues were explored before you said yes to the treatment.
In this instance, the dentist should definitely have referred the treatment rather than attempting it.
That’s really sad that the tooth had to be extracted when it could be saved by right treatment. thanks for spreading awareness..