Need help deciding on extraction or potential sving of tooth!

[Chloe]

Hello! I am Chloe, 25 and avoided the dentist the last five years. I was never fearful of the dentist but due to some personal issues I never bothered to go and now my teeth have definitely paid for it, and I will pay for it too!! LOL! I was nervous to go in for an exam, the diagnosis was pretty bad but i can only be mad with myself.

So on top of the million fillings I need and my wisdoms extracted I need a root canal on a back molar. I previously had this tooth filled twice. The first time I was pregnant and the dr suspected I need a root canal but refused to do xrays despite my OBGYN saying it was fine. He temporally filled it which broke not long after. Was lazy and left it broken for awhile until I went and had it fixed cause it started to hurt. This new dentist put a huge filling in it and said if it starts to hurt you need a root canal. OK, it basically hurt on and off from the get go but I though it was pressure from my wisdoms.

So now I need a root canal but because of the multiple large fillings there isn't much tooth left. I will definitely need a crown over it and my new dentist says it might be a difficult procedure. She suggested I could just get it pulled when I go to extract my wisdoms. I have a strange bite. And with that tooth gone all my other teeth will still align ok . This will also save me over a thousand dollars. Money is not hugely concerning but $1000 is $1000! I feel a bit weird taking out a tooth being young but I also would love to just never think about that tooth again since it gave me so much trouble lol

What do you think I should do!!?

 

[RP]

Is leaving the wisdon tooth on that side an option? I lost a molar really young and my wisdom tooth came in and filled the spot.

 

[Chloe]

My wisdom teeth are all fully erupted, they have a lot of decay and cause me a lot of pressure all the time so I need them out. I am really dreading the removal but I was told it should be a bit better since they are not impacted.

 

[norwegianchick]

Your tooth will not grow back, and having RCT is less stressful and carries less risk of complications than an extraction. Keeping the tooth is usually cheaper than the alternatives (bridges or implants), unless you're OK with leaving the space. Back teeth, even those with a fairly intact natural crown, need crowns after RCT because they become more brittle and prone to breaking, so this kind of procedure costs money on any tooth.

You decide what you want to do, you'll be able to chew your food even without that one tooth, and missing back teeth is pretty common. I'd try to keep it if it was me, I'm trying to keep a tooth with somewhat complex anatomy right now, and I don't know which way it goes, but I'm giving it one more chance because it's not causing me pain.

Good luck whatever you decide to do!