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Root Canal or Pull the Tooth?

P

Pippy

Junior member
Joined
Apr 11, 2012
Messages
6
Location
Ireland
Hi - I've had a bad abcess on my first molar (top) for the last week. Face was quite swollen and was put on antibiotics. They seem to have worked - tooth not sore at all but my face is still sore in places, particularly under my cheekbone. My dentist advised that I'll need to decide what to do now .... root canal or have the tooth removed (& potentially an implant).

Implant is just too expensive for me - so my decision is root canal or just pull the tooth.

I had a very bad experience years ago with root canals - so I've a phobia about dentists & root canals ... so my initial thoughts are to have the tooth pulled (under sedation), but I'm wondering what are the pros and cons.

It's obviously much cheaper to just have the tooth extracted - but I'd like to know what are the downsides to going this option? cosmetically, it won't show; presume I'll just get used to the "gap"; have all other teeth, so guess I'll still be able to chew!

On the other hand, people say I should go root canal?? what are the +/- of same? will I have to get a crown on it also?

Any advice appreciated!

Pippy
 
Once the tooth is extracted, it is gone forever. When a tooth is missing, your bite (how your teeth come together when you close your mouth) will change. This could lead to more pressure being placed on other teeth to compensate for the missing tooth. The added pressure can cause teeth to crack, break, or place stress on fillings or other restorative work.

One tooth missing - people can live with and adjust. The problem is, what happens if you eventually need another tooth extracted and then another? The more missing teeth you have, the more problems that can develop and the more expensive it becomes to correct those problems.

Replacing an extracted tooth can be more expensive than root canal treatment. It's best to keep your natural teeth for as long as possible.

No offence, but having a tooth extracted because you fear root canal therapy really isn't a good idea. It's completely understandable and completely normal to feel this way, but extracting a tooth should be the last resort.


Root Canal Therapy

Root canal treatment is performed to save an otherwise good tooth. If the dentist felt that you wouldn't benefit from having the root canal, then the dentist wouldn't have given you the option. The dentist would have advised you just to have the tooth extracted.

A tooth that has had root canal therapy can become infected again. It's not a high percentage, but it can happen. Most times, the tooth can undergo a second root canal treatment and be fine.

After the root canal treatment is finished and the tooth has had time to heal, time has passed and it seems the root canal treatment was a success, the dentist usually recommends having a crown placed on the tooth. This is because the tooth will become weak over time because of the root canal therapy. (A healthy tooth is moist and alive on the inside. A root canal removes the diseased tissue inside the tooth. The tooth dries from the inside out and becomes weak because the moist healthy tissue, pulp tissue, has been removed.)
 
If you decide to go the root canal route you might want to consider oral sedation (as in Valium). I now take 1 Valium prior to major dental appointments (fillings, recent extraction, root canals, etc) which helps to take the edge off the procedure at least in my case. The only issue is you MUST have someone drive you home when on that sedative. Its gone a long way in terms of helping me address my dental anxiety and getting some dental issues taken care of. Its probably not for everyone but its something that worked well for me.

Hi - I've had a bad abcess on my first molar (top) for the last week. Face was quite swollen and was put on antibiotics. They seem to have worked - tooth not sore at all but my face is still sore in places, particularly under my cheekbone. My dentist advised that I'll need to decide what to do now .... root canal or have the tooth removed (& potentially an implant).

Implant is just too expensive for me - so my decision is root canal or just pull the tooth.

I had a very bad experience years ago with root canals - so I've a phobia about dentists & root canals ... so my initial thoughts are to have the tooth pulled (under sedation), but I'm wondering what are the pros and cons.

It's obviously much cheaper to just have the tooth extracted - but I'd like to know what are the downsides to going this option? cosmetically, it won't show; presume I'll just get used to the "gap"; have all other teeth, so guess I'll still be able to chew!

On the other hand, people say I should go root canal?? what are the +/- of same? will I have to get a crown on it also?

Any advice appreciated!

Pippy
 
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