Last month, I saw a dentist for the first time for a checkup. They spotted an "obvious shadow" above my first upper-left premolar that had a 10 year-old filling. This made them suspect there was further decay above this filling.
Yesterday, I went to get the filling redone, but after she had done the drilling, the dentist noticed there was no decay but "a hole to the pulp" that apparently had been there for quite some time. She took a photo and an X-ray then showed me both. In the photo, there was a bright red spot on my tooth. The X-ray revealed a large shadow around the root of the tooth that she said had been there for a long time like the hole. She said I need a root canal so, in complete shock, I just went along with it. She handfiled the roots a bit before applying medicine and providing a temporary seal for the tooth. I'm due to return tomorrow to complete the treatment.
What do people think? There was no real consent yesterday for the X-ray or handfiling, but she was certain the root canal was essential and the issue is like "a volcano waiting to erupt". It was only when I was travelling home that I began to process what happened. Is it worth trusting this dentist that a root canal is necessary? This tooth has never had any pain or discolouration; it's only history is the filling, and I guess the hole that was discovered. I don't smoke and drink little. Many thanks all.