Q. Is root canal treatment the best option for a tooth with nerve injury?

Hi doctor,

I want to get advice on a dental visit I made last month. It has turned into a mess. I walked into a dental office to go through the process of getting a bridge. It has been three weeks, and I am in a lot of pain after the dentist shaved my tooth enamel, exposing the nerve. I have been taking painkillers every six to eight hours, which could be dangerous. They are telling me I will need a root canal treatment because the nerve has gone bad. The issue is worse. I am only entering a short query. Kindly help me.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your speedy reply. My first visit was a consultation. It is a husband and wife practice. The husband examined my teeth for the bridge and noticed small cavities in two of my upper left teeth. He explained he could take care of the cavities and start the process of my bridge simultaneously. When I returned to get the small cavities removed and the impression for the bridge, I got to know that his wife would be doing the work. I figured since they had a practice together, everything would be fine. Going through the procedure, she continued to remove extra enamel from the tooth and added two temporary crowns on both teeth. One of the teeth is fine, but the tooth I am having issues with is almost gone. The temporary crown did fall out later that afternoon. I had it replaced the next day. Since day one, the pain has been throbbing.

I contacted them as they were then on vacation, and she suggested I take Penicillin. I explained to her that I did not think I had an infection, and I had a feeling it was the nerve being exposed. She ordered me to take it to eliminate the inflammation. She also explained my bridge came in, and when she returned to the office in two days, she would put the bridge on to see if I was still in pain. I told her it would not make sense to put a bridge on while I was in pain. I brought up the root canal treatment, and she said we would discuss it during the appointment. Several days later, I went to my appointment as we discussed and discovered the bridge was not there as she stated. They rescheduled me for the next day, and I explained I was losing time at work and was very confused about the care they offered. I returned the next day, and she did X-rays to see what was happening. She stated she did not see anything, and it could be the nerve going bad. She being the specialist, asked me what I wanted to do. Right then, I lost trust and was very insulted. Right now, this has become a serious medical issue because I am taking too many painkillers, and it is kind of a setup where I have to let them do my root canal treatment because of the timing and pain. Once I headed to the front desk, they explained the cost would be expensive. I have already paid for them. I do not trust them at all. The bridge did come in that day, and when I asked to look at it, they realized it was a bad match. Not even close to the color of my teeth. I am hurt mentally and physically. I cannot believe this is happening. So now I am searching for a dentist to do my root canal treatment. I do not know what to do. Kindly help me find a solution.

Hi doctor,

Thank you for your reply. It has been 20 days counting today since they added the temporary crown. If the pain lasts too long, I can feel my heart beating. So I take the Ibuprofen before the pain gets too bad. I stopped taking Penicillin for a day. And I am afraid of mixing medications. Do you think they handled this situation properly? I am not overacting and I never encountered such an issue. As for the medications, would Ibuprofen be the correct medicine for the pain? I am taking Ibuprofen 300 mg every six hours and 500 mg of Penicillin two times a day, but I missed today. Kindly suggest me an opinion.