Health

[AyewJoking]

had a tooth infection a couple of weeks ago. now the swelling has  gone down the dentist has had a look and wants to do a root canal (£1383)

 

Its just a filling fallen out which i had when i was a boy, should i just leave it and deal with the annoyance of another infection should that ever happen?

 

the filling came out 2 months ago and no bother at all until the infection which antibiotics cleared within a week.

 

the tooth is fine right now, no bother at all.

 

is it foolish to leave as is and hope for the best or get this sorted, either at this dentist or somewhere else?

[Zear0]

54 minutes ago, AyewJoking said:

had a tooth infection a couple of weeks ago. now the swelling has  gone down the dentist has had a look and wants to do a root canal (£1383)

 

Its just a filling fallen out which i had when i was a boy, should i just leave it and deal with the annoyance of another infection should that ever happen?

 

the filling came out 2 months ago and no bother at all until the infection which antibiotics cleared within a week.

 

the tooth is fine right now, no bother at all.

 

is it foolish to leave as is and hope for the best or get this sorted, either at this dentist or somewhere else?

I’m not a dentist, but usually better to do it sooner rather than later. If they can do a root canal with a crown you’ll have a tooth, if it gets worse the might need to remove it.

[AyewJoking]

Just now, Zear0 said:

I’m not a dentist, but usually better to do it sooner rather than later. If they can do a root canal with a crown you’ll have a tooth, if it gets worse the might need to remove it.

would be cheaper to remove yes?

 

[FoxesDeb]

58 minutes ago, AyewJoking said:

had a tooth infection a couple of weeks ago. now the swelling has  gone down the dentist has had a look and wants to do a root canal (£1383)

 

Its just a filling fallen out which i had when i was a boy, should i just leave it and deal with the annoyance of another infection should that ever happen?

 

the filling came out 2 months ago and no bother at all until the infection which antibiotics cleared within a week.

 

the tooth is fine right now, no bother at all.

 

is it foolish to leave as is and hope for the best or get this sorted, either at this dentist or somewhere else?

Is £1383 a typo? Otherwise that's surely extortionate for one tooth!

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, AyewJoking said:

would be cheaper to remove yes?

 

Is the tooth still live or has the infection killed the nerve? You certainly don't want another infection or abcess. Maybe better off  to have tooth out? Just a layman thought 

[Wymsey]

7 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

Is £1383 a typo? Otherwise that's surely extortionate for one tooth!

Wouldn't be surprised if that's the going rate for one in today's world, to be honest.

[Zear0]

11 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

Is £1383 a typo? Otherwise that's surely extortionate for one tooth!

I paid slightly over that for that treatment. About as painful as the procedure.

[Zear0]

14 minutes ago, AyewJoking said:

would be cheaper to remove yes?

 

I mean yeah, but you’d surely want to keep your teeth?

[AyewJoking]

27 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Is the tooth still live or has the infection killed the nerve? You certainly don't want another infection or abcess. Maybe better off  to have tooth out? Just a layman thought 

i dont know. im just going on what the dentist told me.

 

Obviously the dentist will choose the option that gets them the most money but if tooth removal is cheaper, i would prefer that option.

the tooth is near the back so no one is going to know

 

the pain actually stopped before i started the antibiotics so would that mean the nerve was killed?

[Foxdiamond]

6 minutes ago, AyewJoking said:

i dont know. im just going on what the dentist told me.

 

Obviously the dentist will choose the option that gets them the most money but if tooth removal is cheaper, i would prefer that option.

the tooth is near the back so no one is going to know

 

the pain actually stopped before i started the antibiotics so would that mean the nerve was killed?

Can only offer my own experiences. Had an abcess years after chipping a tooth. Had to have the poison drained. Dentist told me the nerve was dead and put antiseptic in it. OK after that. Perhaps your infection was able to drain itself? Sorry if I'm talking rubbish for any dentists out there. Perhaps ask the dentist for more information. Might be better and cheaper if taken out.

[danny.]

1 hour ago, FoxesDeb said:

Is £1383 a typo? Otherwise that's surely extortionate for one tooth!

That’s what dentists charge 

[Lionator]

Eat fibre (chia seeds, chickpeas, lentils, any fruit and veg, wholemeal carbs, nuts). It’ll change your life. 

[UniFox21]

The meningitis outbreak is pretty concerning down in Kent.

Response so far seems to be throwing antibiotics at people rather than offering the vaccine for free rather than just privately.

[JonnyBoy]

11 hours ago, Lionator said:

Eat fibre (chia seeds, chickpeas, lentils, any fruit and veg, wholemeal carbs, nuts). It’ll change your life. 

 

Fibre is extremely important and links to long term good or bad health, People focus a lot on protein but don't track fibre. It is madness 

 

 

 

 

[Lionator]

1 hour ago, UniFox21 said:

The meningitis outbreak is pretty concerning down in Kent.

Response so far seems to be throwing antibiotics at people rather than offering the vaccine for free rather than just privately.

Because vaccines take a few weeks to build immunity and antibiotics work straight away! 

[UniFox21]

20 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Because vaccines take a few weeks to build immunity and antibiotics work straight away! 

Yeah you're right, just seems that a mixture of both would provide longer last protection to the area

[SpacedX]

6 hours ago, UniFox21 said:

The meningitis outbreak is pretty concerning down in Kent.

Response so far seems to be throwing antibiotics at people rather than offering the vaccine for free rather than just privately.

This was a localised superspreading event. The concern was the rapidity but I think it is most unlikely to have national implications. The NHS has large stockpiles of MenB vaccinations, so potential availability is no concern. For meningococcal meningitis,  benzylpenicillin or third-generation cephalosporins (ceftriaxone/cefotaxime) are the preferred antibiotocs. I'm currently on a course of ciprofloxacin for a severe bladder wall infection which I'm told also reduces the chances of contracting Meningitis B by 80% and is also first line treatment. It isn't working so far. 

Edited 18 March by SpacedX

[Crinklyfox]

On 15/03/2026 at 18:25, WigstonWanderer said:

Turns out I have prostate cancer. Bit of a bummer but it is what it is. Gleason 3/4, so fairly early stage. I’m going for a relatively new tech treatment called Nano Knife which hopefully will avoid side effects and has a quite quick recovery. The cancerous areas of the prostate are zapped with electricity to kill it off leaving the rest.

 

The main risk is to the wallet as it isn’t covered by Medicare or private insurance yet and costs about AU$25k. The stats quoted are 97% successful for eradicating the existing cancer, but a 20% chance of return within 5 - 10 years. I will have to be regularly monitored (PSA, MRI and occasional biopsies), but if it does return it should be early stage and all treatment options are still available including repeat Nano Knife.

 

Big holiday pre-planned (nuclear winter permitting) so won’t be doing anything until June.

I have no medical knowledge but have a friend who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2019.  He goes for treatment on the tumour roughly every six months and this is keeping it in check.  I last saw him in January, he looks well and if I hadn't known I would never have guessed that he had cancer.  Good luck with your treatment.

[ajthefox]

On 17/03/2026 at 19:56, AyewJoking said:

i dont know. im just going on what the dentist told me.

 

Obviously the dentist will choose the option that gets them the most money but if tooth removal is cheaper, i would prefer that option.

the tooth is near the back so no one is going to know

 

the pain actually stopped before i started the antibiotics so would that mean the nerve was killed?

I had a root canal last year on one of my front teeth. I lost half of it playing hockey and had a filling that was fine until about 18 months later I got a horrid toothache that was the nerve dying. Pain had gone by the time I had the procedure but didn't want to risk anything especially with it being the most visible tooth. 

 

Is it £1380 for just the root canal or getting something else done too? Mine was about 600 and it's a good practice.

 

I'd imagine getting the tooth removed is cheaper either way.

 

 

 

 

[bmt]

On 17/03/2026 at 18:20, AyewJoking said:

had a tooth infection a couple of weeks ago. now the swelling has  gone down the dentist has had a look and wants to do a root canal (£1383)

 

Its just a filling fallen out which i had when i was a boy, should i just leave it and deal with the annoyance of another infection should that ever happen?

 

the filling came out 2 months ago and no bother at all until the infection which antibiotics cleared within a week.

 

the tooth is fine right now, no bother at all.

 

is it foolish to leave as is and hope for the best or get this sorted, either at this dentist or somewhere else?

I am a bit of an anti dentist person but I would let it roll and if it gets bad get rid of the tooth. 1400 is a joke

[bmt]

On 15/03/2026 at 18:25, WigstonWanderer said:

Turns out I have prostate cancer. Bit of a bummer but it is what it is. Gleason 3/4, so fairly early stage. I’m going for a relatively new tech treatment called Nano Knife which hopefully will avoid side effects and has a quite quick recovery. The cancerous areas of the prostate are zapped with electricity to kill it off leaving the rest.

 

The main risk is to the wallet as it isn’t covered by Medicare or private insurance yet and costs about AU$25k. The stats quoted are 97% successful for eradicating the existing cancer, but a 20% chance of return within 5 - 10 years. I will have to be regularly monitored (PSA, MRI and occasional biopsies), but if it does return it should be early stage and all treatment options are still available including repeat Nano Knife.

 

Big holiday pre-planned (nuclear winter permitting) so won’t be doing anything until June.

Sorry to hear that mate and hope youre well soon. Arent other treatments for prostate cancer largely effective? Fair if you can afford it but I know multiple men who had prostate cancer and had successful treatment and live completely normal lives now. Im sure the AU system knows better than me tho!

[AyewJoking]

54 minutes ago, ajthefox said:

I had a root canal last year on one of my front teeth. I lost half of it playing hockey and had a filling that was fine until about 18 months later I got a horrid toothache that was the nerve dying. Pain had gone by the time I had the procedure but didn't want to risk anything especially with it being the most visible tooth. 

 

Is it £1380 for just the root canal or getting something else done too? Mine was about 600 and it's a good practice.

 

I'd imagine getting the tooth removed is cheaper either way.

 

 

 

 

root canal and cap. i would 99% leave it and hope for the best but internet says infection could come back and at worst enter the neck and head.

 

Either way, i dont think i have it in me to fork out over a grand for a  molar (internet also says front teeth are cheaper to root canal)

 

 

[WigstonWanderer]

14 hours ago, bmt said:

Sorry to hear that mate and hope youre well soon. Arent other treatments for prostate cancer largely effective? Fair if you can afford it but I know multiple men who had prostate cancer and had successful treatment and live completely normal lives now. Im sure the AU system knows better than me tho!

Thanks very much. Other options would be cheaper but I’m going for this because it should be less of a trauma (day procedure) and less chance of incontinence or impotence.

The downside (apart from cost) is the more rigorous follow up and a greater likelihood if it returning elsewhere in the prostate.

Turns out the reason the treatment is so expensive is that I need 5 special “needles” and each one costs $2,500!
I guess there’s a patent and they’re recovering costs.

Removal of the prostate is the most effective treatment as far as I understand and would be cheaper.

Edited 20 March by WigstonWanderer

[Trumpet]

On 17/03/2026 at 21:35, Lionator said:

Eat fibre (chia seeds, chickpeas, lentils, any fruit and veg, wholemeal carbs, nuts). It’ll change your life. 

Greek yogurt, chia seeds and chopped strawberries was my go to when cutting out processed sugars. 

[Sampson]

Currently in the recovery stages of norovirus, and that was no joke. Partner had it a couple of days ago and I started getting it yesterday evening

 

Thankfully it’s over very quickly, but it’s 8 hours of feeling like you’ve been possessed by a demon. Would not wish that on my worst enemy. 
 

For us, it was about 8 hours of brutal, constantly coming out of both ends simultaneously and at a force that is incredibly violent and doesn’t feel human, my partner lost consciousness a couple of times during it - and we were still dry heaving like crazy for hours even when everything had left the system, then we just need to sleep for about 20 hours and everything in your body aches, you barely have the energy to lift your arm, but we were slowly introducing liquids and simple foods and seeing if we can keep them down. But it’s basically over within 36 hours.

 

Thankfully we didn’t have it at the same time so could look after each other. Would hate to have that while living alone.