I’m worried my husband didn’t get the care he needed. I had a toothache. I took me a few weeks to get into the dentist. When I did, I ended up needing a root canal and dental crown. A few weeks later, my husband got a toothache. He refused to go to the dentist until it hurt to eat. Then, I arranged an emergency appointment for him. It wasn’t our normal dentist, who was on vacation. All the dentist did was give him a filling. Was this the right care or was my husband neglected?
Fanny L.
Dear Fanny,
Toothaches don’t mean the same thing for everyone. They can be caused by something as simple as a cavity or sinus infection, or something more serious like an abscessed tooth or broken tooth. So, while a toothache may require a root canal treatment for one person, for another it may just need a simple filling.
Ideally, the dentists should have explained the reasons for their treatment plans to each of you, so you understood what was going on. Even emergency dentists have a responsibility to explain why work needs to be done.
Each person has a different pain tolerance, which also factors into your husband’s result. While your husband couldn’t eat, it’s possible he has a low pain tolerance. Maybe his pain was just from blocked up sinuses, but the dentist noticed he had a small cavity, too, so he went ahead and filled that to keep it from getting worse.
Now bear in mind, I didn’t examine either of you, so I’m giving hypotheticals. I don’t actually know what went on with either of your particular cases. However, your situation likely was much worse than his and you just have a higher pain tolerance, which would explain why your case required a root canal treatment and his didn’t.
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