My daughter had her retainer removed several weeks ago. In the process, her dentist damaged one of her teeth. It is now gray in color and receded from the rest of her teeth. He did an x-ray and said he could not tell anything for certain but then did a cold test that she failed. He believes the tooth may need a root canal treatment and is sending us to an endodontist. I have a couple of concerns. First, is there any way this will heal without a root canal treatment? Two, the endodontist he recommended does not use the Gentle Wave technology and I would prefer that if a root canal is necessary that is used. Am I within my rights to request a different endodontist who does use the technology?
Camryn
Dear Camryn,
I am a bit concerned about the diagnostic skills of your dentist. Either a tooth needs a root canal treatment or it doesn’t. There really is not a “may” need a root canal treatment. That kind of wording leaves patients (or their parents, like you) in a quandary, wondering if they would be undergoing an unnecessary procedure.
The fact that the tooth underwent trauma, is turning grey, and has sensitivity to cold is enough to diagnose this tooth as dead or dying. In that case, it will need a root canal treatment.
I’m not sure how he managed to damage her tooth while removing her retainer. I am assuming this was some type of permanent bonded retainer that was bonded. Either way, he should have been able to remove the retainer without damaging the tooth if he knew even a minimal amount about orthodontics and bonding procedures. Obviously, he messed up and, in my opinion, is liable for the cost of the repair. Additionally, you do not have to stick with the endodontist he chose. You have the right to choose any endodontist you want, even segregating them by whether or not they use the GentleWave technology. GentleWave is getting good peer reviews in the dental literature. I think it is a good choice to use for your daughter.
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