Metairie root canal treatment Archives - Dr. Duane Delaune's Blog

I Paid for a Crown But Now the Dentist Says I Need a Root Canal

Posted on September 15, 2021 by AllSmiles.

The filling in my lower left second molar cracked, and the tooth cracked. My dentist removed the filling and put a crown on the tooth in June. I felt pain most of the appointment. When my dentist checked my bite, it hurt. Within three days, I returned to the office because it hurt to chew with the tooth and floss between it. The dentist asked me to return early last month for a new crown. When I went in for the crown, the dentist said I needed a root canal after all because the tooth had a periapical abscess. I was upset because the dentist never told me that I might need a root canal eventually. I do not want a root canal, but the dentist says my other option is extraction. Should I have to pay for the extraction, and should I request a refund for a crown that I will lose along with the tooth? – Marco from GA

Marco,

Thank you for contacting us about your case. Yes, your dentist’s work was sloppy. A cracked molar and filling mean that the tooth is already weak. Putting a crown on the tooth without checking its condition is careless. And your dentist should have mentioned root canal treatment. Then you returned to the office for an attempted second time, but you had a periapical abscess. We understand your frustration and not wanting any more treatment from this dentist. But why not consider root canal treatment?

Reasons to Consider Root Canal Treatment

A periapical abscess is a sack of pus from an infection that settles at the tooth roots. And it means the living tissue inside your tooth is dead. A dentist can drill into your tooth, remove the dead pulp, and refill the tooth—and it will be painless. So, root canal treatment would not hurt, but extraction can be traumatic.

Effects of tooth extraction

Root canal treatment is more manageable than extraction for other reasons. Consider the effect of tooth extraction:

Surrounding teeth will drift toward the space of the missing tooth
Your tooth alignment and bite will change
You will need a dental bridge or an implant to replace the tooth and prevent other teeth from moving
Without tooth replacement, you can also develop TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder, including jaw pain, earaches, neck pain, headaches, and more

Ask for a Refund

You agreed to a dental crown to restore your tooth, but it didn’t work. And now, instead of a second tooth, you need root canal treatment. It is appropriate to ask your dentist for a refund. If your dentist does not admit his mistakes, explain that you received faulty work—not a solution.

You can see a cosmetic dentist for a second opinion. Afterward, you can use the results of the visit to ask your dentist for a refund. Best wishes for a fair resolution.

Duane Delaune, DDS, a cosmetic dentist of Metairie, New Orleans, sponsors this post.

Best way to fix two loosened teeth

Posted on November 26, 2012 by AllSmiles.

I was involved in a domestic dispute over the weekend, the day after THanksgiving, and a blow to my mouth caused my front two teeth to loosen. I don’t want to be taken advantage of with dental work that I don’t need. I will be making an appointment this week, but will you please tell me what is the proper treatment for my teeth? Vanessa

Vanessa – We are very sorry to hear about your incident and the damage that it did to your teeth.

If the roots of your teeth are not fractured, a dentist needs to bond your teeth into the correct position so the bone will heal. Your teeth should be fine after that. You will need a follow-up appointment with the dentist to ensure there is no nerve damage to your teeth.

A root canal treatment will be needed if you do have nerve damage. If the root canal treatment is needed, the dentist will ensure that crown of the tooth is free of cement. This prevents the tooth from darkening with time. If your tooth was in good condition prior to the damage, it’s unlikely that you need a porcelain crown, which will likely weaken the tooth.

Best wishes on the repair of your teeth.

This blog post is sponsored by Metairie cosmetic dentist Dr. Duane Delaune.

What can be done if my root canal treatment didn’t work?

Posted on July 25, 2012 by AllSmiles.

I think that I got a bum root canal treatment. I had been reading about how not to worry about it because it’s a simple procedure but I have pain behind my ear on the same side as the tooth that had the infection. I went to an endodontist to be sure that I wouldn’t have no problems with it. The pain is not really all the time but every now and then during the day there is this sharp pain behind my ear. What can I do if the root canal didn’t work? – Tony P from Tennessee

Tony – It is possible for a root canal treatment to fail, but it might not be true in your case. Jaw or tooth problems can present themselves with pain behind the ear.

Regardless of the care that a dentist takes to clear the root of infections, there are times where all of the pathways cannot be reached. In those cases, a root canal treatment might not be successful. In rare cases, even an endodontist (root canal specialist) performs a root canal that fails.

You didn’t indicate how long it has been since you received the root canal treatment, but usually there are no symptoms of failure until an infection develops, which may take three to six months or longer.

It is best to return to the endodontist for him or her to exam your tooth to determine if it is the source of your pain. If infection is present, the endodontist will determine if another root canal treatment is required, if surgery is needed to access the root tip from the outside so it can be sealed, or if the tooth should be extracted and replaced with a dental implant or a dental bridge.

This blog post is courtesy of New Orleans cosmetic dentist Dr. Duane Delaune of Metairie