I have been in the same position. Getting rid of the pain is worth anything. Dentist will work with a patient to make it possible to get the root canal done or they will drill a hole in the tooth to releave the pain caused by an abcess.
The dentists told me they couldn't even touch the bad tooth until they had government approval. But my only point was that socialized medicine will leave people to wait for 6 weeks to 6 months for procedures that are far more important than teeth. I didn't mean to come across as a crybaby.