Saving Teeth in Broughty Ferry

Save the Tooth, End the Pain

Q: Does root canal treatment hurt?

Under local anaesthetic, root canal treatment feels much the same as a lengthy filling: you'll sense pressure and hear the instruments working, but there shouldn't be any pain. The discomfort people associate with root canals is nearly always the infection that came before it, and the treatment is what brings that to an end. For a few days afterwards the tooth will probably be tender when you bite, and ordinary painkillers deal with that. A tooth that's badly inflamed sometimes takes longer to numb fully, so we wait until it has before starting.

Q: How many visits does root canal treatment take?

Either one or two, depending on which tooth it is and the extent of the infection. An uncomplicated front tooth can frequently be cleaned out, shaped and sealed at a single appointment. Where there's active infection or significant pain, the canals are cleaned, a medicated dressing and temporary filling are placed, and the job is completed a week or two afterwards. For back teeth, the crown or onlay adds another appointment or two.

Q: Is it better to have a root canal or an extraction?

When a tooth can be saved and properly restored, keeping it is normally the better decision. A root-treated tooth with a well-fitting crown can give many years of service, and keeping it is usually less expensive than having it out and replacing it later with a bridge or implant. Removal is faster and costs less on the day, but the resulting gap allows adjacent teeth to drift and the bone beneath to shrink. If a tooth has fractured beneath the gum, or is too far gone to rebuild, we'll tell you plainly and run through the ways it could be replaced.

Q: Where can I get root canal treatment in Broughty Ferry?

Root canal treatment is provided by the dentists at Ferry Smile Studios, 196 Brook Street, from £450 for a front tooth. It begins with an examination of the tooth and an X-ray showing the roots and any infection surrounding them. For anyone in pain, we keep emergency appointments at £70, and you don't need to be registered with us to use one. Occasionally a tooth whose canals are unusually shaped or blocked is referred to a specialist.

At our practice in Broughty Ferry, root canal treatment ranges from £450 on a front tooth to £595 on a molar, and is normally finished in one or two appointments. ¹ We take out the infected nerve, disinfect and seal the canals, and you hang on to a tooth that would otherwise need extracting.

Book an examinationIn pain now? Seen today

For plan members the range is £405 to £536. ¹ NHS root canal treatment is available too: Children and adults are registered and treated on the NHS, with every dentist at the practice, and private care is there if you'd rather.

Your dentistDr Christopher Cummings BDS (Glasgow)Dentist at Ferry Smile Studios, providing general and restorative dentistry for adults and children, NHS and private. GDC 227745.Meet Dr Cummings ›

What the Treatment Involves

To you it feels like a longer filling appointment. Once you're numb, there's nothing to feel.

Working Out What's Wrong

The tooth is tested, X-rayed and assessed to see whether it's worth saving. Before anything begins you have the fee in front of you, along with the alternative of extraction.

Getting Inside the Tooth

Once numb, a small access hole is made through the top of the tooth. The nerve is removed and every canal is shaped and flushed through with disinfectant.

A Medicated Dressing, Where Needed

If the infection is severe, we place a dressing inside and a temporary filling on top for a week or two. The pain usually calms within a day or so.

Sealing and Restoring

Each canal is filled right to the tip and the access sealed. Front teeth usually need only a filling; back teeth are best covered with an onlay or a crown.

Signs a Tooth Needs It

Some teeth never hurt at all, and the problem only shows up on an X-ray.

A throbbing ache that comes on by itself or wakes you in the small hours

Pain from a hot cup of tea that lingers long after you've finished it

A tooth that seems to stand proud, or is painful to bite on

A small spot on the gum that releases a salty taste, or a swollen face

A front tooth that has darkened, sometimes years after it was knocked

Decay or a fracture that has gone deep enough to reach the nerve

If swelling is spreading up towards the eye or down the neck, or you're struggling to swallow or breathe, go to A&E or dial 999 straight away. Outside our hours, NHS 24 is on 111.

Root Canal or Extraction?

On the day, an extraction is faster and costs less. The drawback is the space left behind: neighbouring teeth tip into it, the tooth above over-erupts, and closing the gap later with a bridge or implant is dearer than the root canal would have been.

That's why, if the tooth is saveable and you'd like to keep it, saving it is normally our advice. If it isn't, because the root has split or too little tooth remains to build on, we'll tell you straight instead of treating a tooth with poor prospects.

Our guide to root canal treatment, step by step

How Successful Is It?

The great majority of root-treated teeth settle down and last for years, frequently for life, as long as the seal is good and the tooth is rebuilt properly. When one does fail later, it's usually because a crack or a leaking filling has let bacteria back in, which is exactly why back teeth need a crown or onlay.

If an old root filling flares up, it can often be re-treated, from £595. Where canals are curved or there may be extra ones, we may recommend a scan on our own CT scanner to see the roots in three dimensions.

Antibiotics alone don't fix an infected tooth. They're useful when infection is spreading, but the tooth itself still needs treating.

What Root Canals Cost

A molar has three or four canals where an incisor usually has one, so the fee varies by tooth. Yours is confirmed in your written plan, with 10% off for plan members. ¹

Front tooth (incisor)	£450
Premolar	£525
Molar	£595
Re-treating an old root filling	from £595
First stage in an emergency, to settle the pain	£150
Fibre post, where the tooth needs one	£160
Ceramic onlay to follow	£750
Ceramic crown to follow, back tooth	from £675

See every fee

Afterwards

Expect a mild ache for a couple of days. Ibuprofen or paracetamol, if they suit you, is normally enough

Most people go straight back to work or school afterwards

Until the permanent filling, onlay or crown is fitted, chew on the opposite side; a tooth without protection can split

Get in touch if you notice swelling, or if the pain is getting worse rather than better

Who Treats You

Our general dentists, among them Dr Lisa Respinger, carry out root canal treatment here, taking digital X-rays as they go to confirm that each canal has been cleaned along its whole length.

Particularly difficult teeth, for instance those with blocked canals or a fragment of instrument left from earlier treatment, can be better handled by a dentist who does nothing but root canals. If that applies to you, we'll say so and organise a referral.

Questions

Discomfort, number of visits, crowns and fees.

How much does root canal treatment cost in Broughty Ferry?–

At our Broughty Ferry practice, root canal treatment is £450 on an incisor, £525 on a premolar and £595 on a molar; members of a dental plan pay £405, £473 and £536 respectively. ¹ Where a tooth is extremely painful, an initial stage that removes the nerve and calms it down costs £150. Premolars and molars generally need a crown or onlay afterwards to guard against cracking, and that is charged separately. Re-treating an existing root filling starts from £595.

Does root canal treatment hurt?+

How many visits does root canal treatment take?+

Do I need a crown after root canal treatment?+

Is it better to have a root canal or an extraction?+

Will antibiotics cure toothache?+

Where can I get root canal treatment in Broughty Ferry?+

Guides

Root Canal Guides

All general dentistry guides

General dentistry · 6 minute read

Toothache when the practice is shut: your options

Toothache Right Now?

Emergency appointments are held back every weekday. Phone first thing and we'll do our best to see you before the end of the day, whether you're registered here or not.

Book an emergency appointmentOr phone 01382 477350