Root canal or extraction?

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Got a tooth that needed a gap filled between the crown and base of tooth. All well and good UNTIL the pain started. I thought maybe that was a response from not using novacaine. Well, no, there is an infection. Okay, got antibiotics going but the end game decision is: do you want a root canal or pull the tooth. Since it's the last tooth on the left, I'm leaning toward pulling it. If the 3 Stooges were in town, they would probably just knock it out. Anybody been in the same spot? What did you do and were you happy with your decision? Thanks!
I travel 170 one way to use my Dentist of 20 sumpin years as the dude is that good. I'd go with the root canal and if it fails in the future you could go with an implant but probably not needed as a back molar.

Remember Soupy Sales famous quote,
" Be true to your teeth and they won't be false to you. "
 
Root canals are temporary fixes. A good and honest dentist will tell you that they have a life of less than 10 years. Anything over that is considered a bonus.

Trick is to find a good and honest dentist. Some are bad and some are dishonest. I had one that was both bad and dishonest years ago.

I just broke my last root canal last week. The crown came off when the tooth underneath broke. I think I did get more than 10 years out of it, but of the 4 root canals I've had over the years, this was the last to break. I've replaced them with implants.. Not cheap, but they'll last forever... I refuse to do root canals. I expect the implanted screws to be along side the other hardware in my ashes when they sweep out the furnace.

My advice... either pull it or do an implant. Don't even consider the root canal.
 

My bad I’ve been crazy busy the last 2 months. I don’t normally diagnose over internet, phone calls or texts haha. Mainly because I’ll never get the full picture of what’s going on with someone.

That being said root canals are great treatment options, extractions are always a last resort imo. Once the tooth is gone it’s not coming back unless implant and those are guaranteed to last forever either. If your dentist says otherwise they are lying.

Think of teeth like an engine. change the oil and do regular maintenance it will last a long time with regular upkeep. If you never change the oil, redline it and drive like an *** on Sunday it’s gonna be expensive to fix… if you take care of your teeth at home via brushing and flossing and regular check ups with the dentist they will last. If not they will be expensive to fix or replace.
 
Root canals are temporary fixes. A good and honest dentist will tell you that they have a life of less than 10 years. Anything over that is considered a bonus.

Trick is to find a good and honest dentist. Some are bad and some are dishonest. I had one that was both bad and dishonest years ago.

I just broke my last root canal last week. The crown came off when the tooth underneath broke. I think I did get more than 10 years out of it, but of the 4 root canals I've had over the years, this was the last to break. I've replaced them with implants.. Not cheap, but they'll last forever... I refuse to do root canals. I expect the implanted screws to be along side the other hardware in my ashes when they sweep out the furnace.

My advice... either pull it or do an implant. Don't even consider the root canal.

Implants do not last forever, they can get infected and they can fail.

Your honest dentist should have told you that.

I do agree with you though. Implants are amazing at replacing teeth, position of the TMJ and returning natural occlusion which.
 
Doc....your post above has made me change my attitude about a minor thing going on with one wisdom tooth. It has a corner closest to the next tooth in front of it chipped a little. My Dentist is a young guy 3 or 4 years into his practice that he bought from my longtime Dentist. He told me if it gets tender or causes problems, he can fix it. I told him if it gets to that he can just pull it. He says he'd rather not and it should be saved. I've been very fortunate to have good teeth. I'm 66 and have 1 filling in my teeth! The cavity came between 2 molars not long after my adult teeth came in, and was filled by my first Dentist. Dr. Miller replaced the filling before he retired. I need to start looking at my teeth like sheet metal on cars......I need to keep as much of the original as possible!

:thumbsup:
 
I have a bridge with a cavity under one of the crowns. Dentist wants to do a root canal . I said how does that fix the cavity. He just wants to do the root canal. And not fix the cavity. Going for second opinion.
 
I have a bridge with a cavity under one of the crowns. Dentist wants to do a root canal . I said how does that fix the cavity. He just wants to do the root canal. And not fix the cavity. Going for second opinion.
Drill out the cavity past the nerves and add wicks in place of the nerves then seal the hole and replace the crown.

I've had two root canals and both are the result of compromised fillings from many years ago. One was a molar and the orthodontist drilled through leaving it in place until after the procedure was complete. Most recommend the Cubic Zirconia because it's one piece and does not show past the gum line and are stronger. Rear out of sight replacement can be porcelain with a metal base. As we age the gums recede and show more of the tooth's base.

The 2nd tooth is a front one, so that is Zirconia, drilled, ground and crowned.
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Does anyone see the cat tiger cheetah. Computer screen burn in
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I have had 2 root canals, one crowned, one filled. Not cheap. Both had to be pulled within 3 yrs because they split to the root, or got infectrd and required new bone material in the jaw.

After all the pain, grief and expense, the faulty teeth had to be pulled and replaced with implants. Also, not cheap.

Knowing then what I know now, I would have had the bad teeth pulled and gone the implant route from the start. Would have saved pain, time and lots of money.
 
Implants do not last forever, they can get infected and they can fail.

Your honest dentist should have told you that.

I do agree with you though. Implants are amazing at replacing teeth, position of the TMJ and returning natural occlusion which.
Actually, my honest dentist has told me that, so maybe I should have tempered my advice a bit. In my case, he also said I'm healthy and don't smoke (that's the big one) so I have a good chance the implants I have won't ever fail. He's been doing them about 30 years now, and from what I understand, this is the guy other dentists in the area go to.

BTW, he's a car guy with a '65 Mustang that his Dad bought new... So we have better conversations than I do with my other docs.
 
Actually, my honest dentist has told me that, so maybe I should have tempered my advice a bit. In my case, he also said I'm healthy and don't smoke (that's the big one) so I have a good chance the implants I have won't ever fail. He's been doing them about 30 years now, and from what I understand, this is the guy other dentists in the area go to.

BTW, he's a car guy with a '65 Mustang that his Dad bought new... So we have better conversations than I do with my other docs.
I reread how I wrote that and it came out kind of snarky which I do apologize. Yes smoking, diabetes, previous periodontal disease, and poor oral home care are the biggest detriments to implants. Then the occasional persons body rejects the implant or bone graft. It happens.
 
Wow is this about perfect timing. When I was younger I had a couple cavities but for 33 years I had good insurance and had my teeth cleaned and checked every 6 months. I lost all my dental insurance in 2010 when I retired. Well 5-6 years ago I paid to get a cap and now that tooth is giving me trouble (top back left tooth). My last checkup I told him about it and he gave me the could get it pulled option or then he recommended a dentist to do a root canal. It’s not terrible pain and honestly the money isn’t there with school and property taxes due. He said then he would have to redo the cap (pay again). At 67 I’m leaning on getting it pulled.
 
I'm a Mopar guy with no insurance....I can't afford to see a dentist
 
Wow is this about perfect timing. When I was younger I had a couple cavities but for 33 years I had good insurance and had my teeth cleaned and checked every 6 months. I lost all my dental insurance in 2010 when I retired. Well 5-6 years ago I paid to get a cap and now that tooth is giving me trouble (top back left tooth). My last checkup I told him about it and he gave me the could get it pulled option or then he recommended a dentist to do a root canal. It’s not terrible pain and honestly the money isn’t there with school and property taxes due. He said then he would have to redo the cap (pay again). At 67 I’m leaning on getting it pulled.

Top in the back giving trouble with a previous cap. Yeah if that one goes to infection next being close to the Nasal Cavity, that can be really bad news.

When you pull that tooth your problem is gone forever, and the health of your body returns to normal. Your other teeth will pick up the chewing and you will easily adjust to that tooth being gone, especially being the last tooth in the line.


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I've had a couple of root canals done without any issues. I had an implant done almost 10 years ago on an upper front tooth that had been broken at the gum line in a workplace accident.
The absolute worst pain, without a shadow of doubt that I have ever experienced was following the extraction of the broken tooth. Nothing I could take would ease the pain for 3 days. I have had a broken leg, broken ankle, and fractures of both wrists, not even close to the same thing pain wise.
After the implant, it's been absolutely fine, no issues whatsoever.
Worker's Comp was only going to do a bridge, but my dentist was adamant that an implant was the only proper solution. I was willing to pay for it out of my own pocket ($1800.00), but I appealed it and with the help of two other dentists I won.
 
Wow is this about perfect timing. When I was younger I had a couple cavities but for 33 years I had good insurance and had my teeth cleaned and checked every 6 months. I lost all my dental insurance in 2010 when I retired. Well 5-6 years ago I paid to get a cap and now that tooth is giving me trouble (top back left tooth). My last checkup I told him about it and he gave me the could get it pulled option or then he recommended a dentist to do a root canal. It’s not terrible pain and honestly the money isn’t there with school and property taxes due. He said then he would have to redo the cap (pay again). At 67 I’m leaning on getting it pulled.

You can put a filling in the crown after the root canal as long as you don’t have a cavity under the crown.
 
Top in the back giving trouble with a previous cap. Yeah if that one goes to infection next being close to the Nasal Cavity, that can be really bad news.

When you pull that tooth your problem is gone forever, and the health of your body returns to normal. Your other teeth will pick up the chewing and you will easily adjust to that tooth being gone, especially being the last tooth in the line.


* * * * *

This is not all entirely true.

An Infection of an upper tooth, yes can spread to the brain via the facial Venus plexus but it’s not super common. But who wants to take that risk?

Pulling the tooth yea does get rid of the infection (so does a root canal). Yes the other teeth do pick up the slack but all will be fine without any further problems is not always the case. What is the health of the remaining teeth? Are there large fillings in the remaining teeth? Are those fillings silver? Are there cracks or fractures on the remaining teeth?

When you pull the biggest teeth in the back you rely on smaller teeth to do the job of those larger teeth. Those smaller teeth break down and literally break much quicker especially if they have large fillings. Then you pull more teeth… then more. And eventually you have no back teeth and all your chewing is done with front teeth and or partials or dentures. Which is ok, I understand everyone’s finances and interests are different. I just want people to have the full understanding of their choices which include the long term health of their remaining teeth and mouth.

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This is not all entirely true.

An Infection of an upper tooth, yes can spread to the brain via the facial Venus plexus but it’s not super common. But who wants to take that risk?

Pulling the tooth yea does get rid of the infection (so does a root canal). Yes the other teeth do pick up the slack but all will be fine without any further problems is not always the case. What is the health of the remaining teeth? Are there large fillings in the remaining teeth? Are those fillings silver? Are there cracks or fractures on the remaining teeth?

When you pull the biggest teeth in the back you rely on smaller teeth to do the job of those larger teeth. Those smaller teeth break down and literally break much quicker especially if they have large fillings. Then you pull more teeth… then more. And eventually you have no back teeth and all your chewing is done with front teeth and or partials or dentures. Which is ok, I understand everyone’s finances and interests are different. I just want people to have the full understanding of their choices which include the long term health of their remaining teeth and mouth.

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In my case I do have a gap in top
Big enough to get my tongue started in. I had four teeth pulled in the 60’s when I got braces
 
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