I’m scared of what’s going to happen to me and need some advice. My dentist told me I needed a filling. I was surprised because I didn’t feel any different. But, I’ve never had a cavity before so maybe that’s normal. I insisted on a composite filling because I didn’t want a metal filling. My dentist agreed, which was a relief. However, while he was working on my tooth he suddenly said it’s infected and he needs to do a root canal treatment and dental crown. That surprised me more. Surely I’d feel an infection. As he’s the dentist I decided to trust him. Sometime during the procedure, I heard and felt a snap. My dentist said the file broke and it’s best to just leave it as is. Then he proceeded to move on. I was flabbergasted. If I didn’t want a metal filling, I certainly don’t want a metal file in my tooth. Should I see a holistic dentist? Would they be a better option for fixing this?

Livvie

Dear Livvie,

I can understand your concern. First, I want to tell you while a broken file isn’t a regular thing, it does happen. Sometimes it’s a faulty file. Sometimes the dentist made a mistake. Sometimes it was just a freak accident.

It’s not unheard of for dentists to leave a broken file in place. Generally, it’s because they don’t want to irritate the area too much. However, I don’t blame you for not wanting to leave a piece of metal in your mouth.

A Holistic Dentist Will be More Sympathetic

While many dentists will tell you it’s not worth the trouble to remove the file, holistic dentists will understand your feelings. They tend to consider the health of the whole body and will understand your desire not to leave metal in the canals of your pulp tooth.

They will either remove it themselves or, if they feel that will be too traumatic, will give you a referral to a specialist.

Diagnosing Tooth Problems

Patients don’t generally feel decay. The exception to that is when it is so extensive it affects the pulp of the tooth or is close to a nerve. In that case, you would need a root canal treatment because the tooth is infected. However, an infected tooth is painful. So painful, it even drives those who abhor going to a dentist into the dental chair.

The fact that you had absolutely no pain makes me wonder if your decay was really as extensive as he said. If you’re concerned you were misdiagnosed, it’s perfectly acceptable to take your x-rays to another office to get a second opinion. As you’re going to see a holistic dentist anyway, I’d recommend you do that.

If it turns out you were misdiagnosed, you will be within your rights to demand a full refund. He should also pay for the appointment to remove the file. Because of the challenge in removing the file, you might consider getting dental sedation for that procedure. This will enable you to be relaxed and even sleep if you so choose during what could be a longer than normal appointment.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Susan Dennis.