Dental Question

[Flippedy]

A family member has been told by her dentist that she has to have root canal therapy. I don’t know much about these, but I have heard they can be a bit dodgy and cause some problems. Apparently the alternative is having the tooth out, which isn’t ideal since it’s a front tooth.

Has anyone here ever had one of these? Were they successful or painful? Was it a good experience (as good as going to a dentist can be lol) or would you have rather had the tooth out?

 

[BZN]

A family member has been told by her dentist that she has to have root canal therapy. I don’t know much about these, but I have heard they can be a bit dodgy and cause some problems. Apparently the alternative is having the tooth out, which isn’t ideal since it’s a front tooth.

Has anyone here ever had one of these? Were they successful or painful? Was it a good experience (as good as going to a dentist can be lol) or would you have rather had the tooth out?

My regular dentist a few years back [who became a forensic dentist] told me to never have a tooth taken out when there is an alternative.
And my current dentist agrees.

 

[Winston Churchill]

Take it out. Its the 'rust proofing' scam of the dental industry. Not worth the money, pain and on going problems.

My story is different to others. I had a root canal done when i lived in China, took 3 visits (3 days apart) with the 'dentist' sticking pins into the tooth pulling out nerves. On the 3rd visit the needle didnt work as i had built up tolerance to the numbing agent over the previous visits so close, hadn't wept so much since the 89 GF. Worst experience of my life. 10 years later I had the tooth removed back in Australia as it started to crumble. Dentist (ironically a Chinese dude at Pacific Smiles in Newcastle) told me its generally a 50/50 of getting any sort of longevity out of a root canal, 10 years he thought was a pretty good innings.

Should have just pulled it out over trying to keep it.

 

[joebob]

My experience was that I had to have a crown many years ago, maybe 10-15 years ago. Last year, the tooth with the crown starting to give me significant pain. The dentist said you need a root canal. It took two sessions a couple of weeks apart. The pain during the session was manageable. I've had no pain since, touch wood.

 

[Mighty_Tiger]

Have had it multiple times in last few years
They should space it out over 3 visits with 1-2 weeks normally between each.

If you get a good dentist the procedures are very minimal discomfort.

Issue if you lose the tooth is the gap left and will over time impact the other teeth - well that’s what the dentists always say.

 

[upthetigers]

Issue if you lose the tooth is the gap left and will over time impact the other teeth - well that’s what the dentists always say.

There is truth to this. I have had teeth pulled out and the teeth move and form bigger gaps between each one.

 

[Tim Sheens]

Can only speak from my experience Flip, though I have had 3 root canal treatments, which lasted some 10, 12 and 15 years respectively, before those leftover roots and crowns had to subsequently be removed. Thankfully, I learnt my lesson with the first one failing and have chosen implants for subsequent issues, including replacing the 3 canals.

I have 7 implants now, 6 top back and 1 lower front molar, having had work done in Australia, Thailand and Vietnam, with pricing ranging from about $3,900 down to some $600 when my Da Nang dentist was running a 10 million dong special.

 

[Merlot]

A family member has been told by her dentist that she has to have root canal therapy. I don’t know much about these, but I have heard they can be a bit dodgy and cause some problems. Apparently the alternative is having the tooth out, which isn’t ideal since it’s a front tooth.

Has anyone here ever had one of these? Were they successful or painful? Was it a good experience (as good as going to a dentist can be lol) or would you have rather had the tooth out?

its been simple mathematics since the dark ages to rip your teeth out at an early age to save long term hassle. Does your family member have good dental cover? , tick , young, over all good dental health. Hear screw ins are cheap overseas, there is an Australian company (s) that guarantee the work here if it fails over their , they do the middle man stuff , .Dentistry done on the cheap, spare change spent on Margaritas, or Mi Thia's on the sun bed for a week

 

[Muffstar]

A family member has been told by her dentist that she has to have root canal therapy. I don’t know much about these, but I have heard they can be a bit dodgy and cause some problems. Apparently the alternative is having the tooth out, which isn’t ideal since it’s a front tooth.

Has anyone here ever had one of these? Were they successful or painful? Was it a good experience (as good as going to a dentist can be lol) or would you have rather had the tooth out?

My dentist will look at all alternatives before removing a tooth, basically that is the last resort. Root Canal is fine, she shouldn't have any problems with it.

 

[Muffstar]

its been simple mathematics since the dark ages to rip your teeth out at an early age to save long term hassle. Does your family member have good dental cover? , tick , young, over all good dental health. Hear screw ins are cheap overseas, there is an Australian company (s) that guarantee the work here if it fails over their , they do the middle man stuff , .Dentistry done on the cheap, spare change spent on Margaritas, or Mi Thia's on the sun bed for a week

I've had some crowns and bridges done overseas, maybe 20 years ago and they are still in great shape and haven't caused any problems. And for me at the time I didn't have a great deal of $$$ it was a good investment.

 

[BZN]

My experience was that I had to have a crown many years ago, maybe 10-15 years ago. Last year, the tooth with the crown starting to give me significant pain. The dentist said you need a root canal. It took two sessions a couple of weeks apart. The pain during the session was manageable. I've had no pain since, touch wood.

jb...if the dentist knows what he/she is doing they will be able to put the needle in the right place, so there shouldn't be any pain.
And don't forget, they numb the gum before the needle goes in, so no pain there either.

 

[TigerSkins05]

Can only speak from my experience Flip, though I have had 3 root canal treatments, which lasted some 10, 12 and 15 years respectively, before those leftover roots and crowns had to subsequently be removed. Thankfully, I learnt my lesson with the first one failing and have chosen implants for subsequent issues, including replacing the 3 canals.

I have 7 implants now, 6 top back and 1 lower front molar, having had work done in Australia, Thailand and Vietnam, with pricing ranging from about $3,900 down to some $600 when my Da Nang dentist was running a 10 million dong special.

Tooth implants are the way to go .. like Sheensy said "EXPENSIVE" .. im currently going through the proccess of having 1 put in .. second last tooth .. tooth out and some bone put in where they took tooth out .. 6 months later hole drilled into space where tooth came out and a metal cup screwed in .. im currently upto waiting another 6 months to have the implant tooth then screwed into metal cup .. total cost $6.5K .. !!

Da Nang niiiiice ... I was just over in Veitnam and Cambodia 2 weeks ago .. and yes saw heaps of what i would call .. "backdoor Dentists" .. hence being cheap.

 

[BZN]

Have had it multiple times in last few years
They should space it out over 3 visits with 1-2 weeks normally between each.

If you get a good dentist the procedures are very minimal discomfort.

Issue if you lose the tooth is the gap left and will over time impact the other teeth - well that’s what the dentists always say.

And with the other teeth are being impacted M_T, the shape of your face will change, as my [forensic] dentist told me.

 

[weststigers]

Tooth implants are the way to go .. like Sheensy said "EXPENSIVE" .. im currently going through the proccess of having 1 put in .. second last tooth .. tooth out and some bone put in where they took tooth out .. 6 months later hole drilled into space where tooth came out and a metal cup screwed in .. im currently upto waiting another 6 months to have the implant tooth then screwed into metal cup .. total cost $6.5K .. !!

Da Nang niiiiice ... I was just over in Veitnam and Cambodia 2 weeks ago .. and yes saw heaps of what i would call .. "backdoor Dentists" .. hence being cheap.

When they put the bone graft in, did they give you a denture to fill the space in the meantime? How did it work?

 

[TigerSkins05]

When they put the bone graft in, did they give you a denture to fill the space in the meantime? How did it work?

Nah .. they covered the gap with a flap of skin cut off the inside of my mouth cheek .. twice when they put the bone graft in .. and again when the put the cup in .. 🙂

Nope no denture as it was the back of the mouth.

 

[weststigers]

Nah .. they covered the gap with a flap of skin cut off the inside of my mouth cheek .. twice when they put the bone graft in .. and again when the put the cup in .. 🙂

Nope no denture as it was the back of the mouth.

What's the pain like? It all seems a bit drawn out and horrific, but to me it's the best solution to avoid future issues

 

[Tim Sheens]

Tooth implants are the way to go .. like Sheensy said "EXPENSIVE" .. im currently going through the proccess of having 1 put in .. second last tooth .. tooth out and some bone put in where they took tooth out .. 6 months later hole drilled into space where tooth came out and a metal cup screwed in .. im currently upto waiting another 6 months to have the implant tooth then screwed into metal cup .. total cost $6.5K .. !!

Da Nang niiiiice ... I was just over in Veitnam and Cambodia 2 weeks ago .. and yes saw heaps of what i would call .. "backdoor Dentists" .. hence being cheap.

There are plenty of "backdoor Dentists" around, including here in Australia.

The second most senior dentist at this Da Nang clinic studied and did her practical training in Melbourne, plus they use the same Korean brand stem and crown bases that are often provided here. It also made communication easier, despite the top dentist having a reasonable treatment wise grasp of English. You can also choose to spend more on US or European brands, but just like generic medications, there is basically no difference.

My treatment plan: Have tooth removed here, fly to Vietnam some 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 months later to have implant installed (plus graft if needed) and enjoy an extended weekend beaching it before returning home.

Then holidaying for a week in 5/6 months time to allow for crown mould, manufacture and placement (3 day turnaround last time). Total cost 3-4k including e-visas, depending on your travel and accommodation frugality, and even a passport if you don't already have one.

I had synthetic grafting on the same upper tooth and along the pair on the other side.

 

[hugh1954]

I visit my Orthodontist every year when we go to Surabaya in Java, last visit it was $30 aust for a filling, I have over the past two years 3 Implants $1000 each implant and I also had my front teeth capped at $300 each tooth. I am not sure how much this would cost in Australia maybe I am to scared to find out. In two weeks I head off again for a week in Bali and 2 weeks in Java, already check with my orthodontist to make sure he is not on holidays so he can check if anything needs doing. Service at the surgery is better than Australia and more modern. Dentist and Vets are a blight on Australia at their prices being more then most Australian can afford in my view

 

[Tim Sheens]

I visit my Orthodontist every year when we go to Surabaya in Java, last visit it was $30 aust for a filling, I have over the past two years 3 Implants $1000 each implant and I also had my front teeth capped at $300 each tooth. I am not sure how much this would cost in Australia maybe I am to scared to find out. In two weeks I head off again for a week in Bali and 2 weeks in Java, already check with my orthodontist to make sure he is not on holidays so he can check if anything needs doing. Service at the surgery is better than Australia and more modern. Dentist and Vets are a blight on Australia at their prices being more then most Australian can afford in my view

Hear, hear!