Need some fast dental advice! Thanks!

[doc1107]

Hi all,

I know this forum isn't used to ask treatment questions but I have an root canal appointment tomorrow and I am not sure where else I can get immediate answers.

So I had a bonding for a front chipped tooth about 10 years ago. Last week, I bite down on a fork accidentally and it chipped off. Didn't think much of it so I didn't do an emergency appointment or anything, but then a few days later, it felt like it was on fire and I knew it was infected. Went to the dentist and he said I needed a root canal and a cap, put me on antibiotics.

It is now three days later and been taking the antibiotics religiously. The infection is down but teeth still aches a little. Now my question is, why can't I just get another bonding instead of a root canal and cap? This is not my regular dentist since I just moved to a new place to start teaching and my dental insurance didn't kick in yet so this place is one of those mega dental places in the city, with 6 offices. They are not Aspen dental though. The reason I mention that is because I am curious if the doc just wanted to do a root canal and a cap to bill for the most? He literally spent 1 minute in the room with me, looked at my tooth and pressed on my gums and told me he saw signs of infection on the x-ray films.

And why did the original dentist give me a bonding when I injured the tooth in the first place instead of the root canal and cap treatment route? Thanks!

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[amalgamator42]

try www.reddit.com/r/dentistry

 

[CMistry]

The doc sounds right. Another "bonding" isn't sufficient in your case.

 

[djeffreyt]

None of us can advise you without seeing you clinically and seeing the radiographs.

And yes, this thread will be closed because you shouldn't get treatment advice here.

However, short answer, you have more severe symptoms than you did when you originally fractured the tooth so a more invasive treatment is not uncommon. 10 years is a long time for a lot of further changes to happen. Is it possible the tooth filling broke out just because of the fork, yes, is it also possible that the filling broke out more readily because there was new decay developing under the filling and destroying the bond, yep.

Could this new decay be infection that is now causing pain and nerve damage, yes. Could that require a root canal to fix, yes, depending on the clinical findings and symptoms you exhibit. So yes the dentist could be overtreating you, but from the sounds of it, he probably isn't. But can we tell you yes or no definitively? Nope.

 

[wigglytooth]

Go see your dentist to get a real opinion. Closing this thread.