I have been undergoing a course of root canal treatment by an endodontist. I was referred by my own dentist who said an endodontist specialises in root canal treatment.
However, last week whilst being treated, the end of the instrument the endodontist was using, broke off in my tooth. He completed the root filling with the broken file remaining in my tooth and told me what had happened.
I have had a lot of problems with the tooth any way but now wonder what harm the file will do to my tooth and whether I will need the root filling done again. Do you think I should make a claim?
An endodontist is a dental surgeon who specialises in treating endodontic problems and in general, this involves root canal treatment.
The instruments or files used in this type of treatment are extremely fine and sometimes break inside root canals. This in itself is not negligent provided that your endodontist told you what had happened and explained the options for your future care.
These options include leaving the file in the tooth (or rather the root) to see if the tooth settles – the instrument is sterile and research has shown it should not affect the prognosis of the tooth. Other options are attempting to retrieve the file by re-doing the root canal work or as a last resort, extraction of the tooth.
It seems in your case you were told straightaway by your endodontist about the broken file. What is not clear is whether you were advised as to your future care. This is something you now need to discuss especially if your tooth does not settle following the root canal work.
On this basis I would not advise you to proceed with a claim as the treatment you have received so far has been reasonable and unfortunately accidents, such as this, happen even to the most competent of dental practitioners.
