Tooth Extraction Needed?

[terrapin158]

Hello! I had a filling that fell out of a molar about 8 years ago, and then part of the tooth fell out a couple years after. I have a fear of the dentist and their procedures, and that is why I didn't get it taken care of right away. When I am in the dentist's chair, I get very nervous, my heart races, and my hands get very cold. Well, last week I started having severe pain, so I finally decided to get it checked out. I went to the dentist yesterday. The woman who took the x-rays and the photos of inside of my mouth, told me that the tooth is healthy, and it just needed a filling. The office manager stated that she shouldn't have said this. When the dentist came in, he said that I needed a root canal. He actually said this 3-4 times, even though I told him "no" each time. Then he said I needed to have it extracted. I asked him if he could just fill it, and he said that if he filled it then the infection would be under the filling and then it would go through my blood stream, and that is why he didn't want to fill it. I have been oil pulling with coconut oil and tea tree oil three times a day, which he said was fine and to continue, and said hopefully this will take care of the infection by Monday - which is the day for extraction. Something doesn't seem right here! To me, it seemed like his number one goal was to make money. I don't want to have this tooth extracted, if it isn't necessary. I still have pain, but it is intermittent. It actually hurts a LOT worse when I take Vitamin D3/K2 for some reason. I can't stop thinking about this, and worrying. Please help!

 

[MountainMama]

Hopefully one of the dentists on here can advise you regarding the root canal/extraction. I will say that when my tooth nerve was infected in one of my molars, the pain was intermittent and was actually not nearly as painful as what I had heard others describe. I would get a jolt of pain for a second or two, then it would be completely fine for a day or two. I was referred to an endodontist to test it, and she said right away that it needed a root canal, after she tapped it with a metal instrument and it hurt. Sure enough, when she did the root canal, the nerve was already necrotic. So the pain doesn't have to be constant.

 

[terrapin158]

Very interesting. The dentist did tap on this molar, and it really hurt.
Thank you so much for your response, MountainMama!

 

[MountainMama]

Very interesting. The dentist did tap on this molar, and it really hurt.
Thank you so much for your response, MountainMama!

Sorry, not the best news, but you could always get a second opinion.

 

[Gordon]

From that x-ray it either needs a root canal or extracted. The woman who took the photos should be fired
There's a massive cavity on the premolar above it too, hopefully you're getting that looked at?

 

[terrapin158]

Thank you so much for your input, Gordon! I agree, she should be fired!
Ok, I will keep my appointment and have the tooth extracted tomorrow. Would you, or anyone, have any suggestions as to how I can learn to accept the fact that I'm getting a permanent molar pulled out? I still can't believe this is happening.

Regarding the premolar on top - first the dentist said that it needed a root canal, but then after he tapped on it and I had minimal pain, he said a crown would be fine. He wanted to take care of the bottom cavity first, because of the (intermittent) severe pain. I always wondered if there was a cavity up there because floss always gets stuck in between the tooth with the cavity and the tooth next to it. The cavity isn't visible from the outside.

Thank you, again. Your input is very much appreciated!

 

[MountainMama]

I can speak to losing a molar. I had my first molar extraction this past year, in October. It needed a crown redone, which ended up with the nerve infected. I did not want to lose my tooth and opted for a root canal, which failed, so I had to have it extracted.

It was hard at first, as it felt odd. I have always had healthy teeth (the previous crown was from a tooth with a broken cusp, not decay), so this was a major blow.

I kept telling myself it was better to lose a tooth than have infection in my mouth. Plus a molar doesn't show. Honestly, I don't even miss it now. Plus, it was actually a relief once it was out and the extraction healed...no more pain!

 

[Scared all the time]

I also just recently had an upper 2nf molar removed. Mine due to a large abscess. I was always terrified of losing permanent teeth the pain was horrible and the fear of it spreading and losing more teeth terrified me even more. So out can the tooth. It was odd at first I kept feeling my cheek rub against the first molar ? once it healed (a couple months) I do t even miss it It does take some getting use to at first.

 

[terrapin158]

Hey all,

So I decided to go for a second opinion. I found a wonderful and kind holistic dentist. She knew I wanted to try anything but a root canal or extraction. So she opened up my bottom molar, medicated it to kill the bacteria, and filled it. She called it MTA Pulp Therapy. It's similar to a root canal, but not quite. She said that the tooth was dead and there was no blood supply to it. She actually explained the x-ray to me, unlike the other dentist. She showed me the infection at the root of the tooth and put me on Amoxicillin. Oh, and the top tooth was completely hollow on the inside, with only a tooth shell on the outside! So she drilled the decay, put some nerve calming gel on the nerve, and then filled it.

She wanted me to come back the following week to check on things. I told her the bottom tooth and jaw were hurting pretty bad, so she put me on a stronger antibiotic, Augmentin. I don't like antibiotics, at all, but was very worried because the infection was in my jaw. I came back the following week and had another x-ray, which still showed the infection being present under this tooth. So she said she would try to find another dentist to repeat the MTA Pulp Therapy, but with better tools to kill ALL of the bacteria. The two they contacted refused to do it. The receptionist said it was hard to find one because of the liability issues. So I decided to have it extracted. This dentist has a periodontist come in twice a month for extractions and root canals. That appointment was today. He took an x-ray, because I told him that the pain was mostly gone, except for a little pain under my tooth. The x-ray showed that the infection was still present. He said that the infection will go away once the tooth is out. So my tooth was extracted. It was very, very nerve wracking, and I almost passed out during the extraction. Now I have severe pain in my jawbone, cheek and socket. I was going to go back to get a temporary flipper until I can afford an implant, but we are moving on Saturday, so I will have to go to a different dentist to get it. I wish I would have done something more to try and get rid of this infection.. like MMS. I did oil pull and take colloidal silver consistently, but it didn't help. I'm still trying to figure out if I made the best decision, and I can't stop obsessing over it. I never imagined having a permanent tooth removed.

I just thought I would explain what happened.

 

[terrapin158]

Also, I'm only 36, and I don't know anyone my age or even in their 40s to have a permanent tooth pulled. I imagine they are out there somewhere.

 

[Scared all the time]

My sister had a molar in the back removed in her 20s I never knew til recently. she’s 57 now. She only told me because of my fears over losing mine. I’m 50 my brother in-law had a couple back ones out 1st molars, I never knew that til recently either both never did anything to replace them. He’s in his 60s now with no issues

 

[MountainMama]

I am 39, have always had healthy teeth, but this past year have started having all kinds of issues. Root canals don't work on me, so I have had to have 3 molars extracted! Two were fillings that aggravate the nerve too much, and one was a crown prep that aggravated the nerve. I also had an injury to my front upper tooth as a child, and it abscessed last year. I may lose it as well. I had a root canal, apicoectomy and multiple rounds of antibiotics, the last being clindamycin. I still have infection present, but we are waiting to see if my immune system can handle what is left.

I am getting two implants.

 

[terrapin158]

I am 39, have always had healthy teeth, but this past year have started having all kinds of issues. Root canals don't work on me, so I have had to have 3 molars extracted! Two were fillings that aggravate the nerve too much, and one was a crown prep that aggravated the nerve. I also had an injury to my front upper tooth as a child, and it abscessed last year. I may lose it as well. I had a root canal, apicoectomy and multiple rounds of antibiotics, the last being clindamycin. I still have infection present, but we are waiting to see if my immune system can handle what is left.

I am getting two implants.

Wow, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of that. How have you been handling it, emotionally and mentally?

 

[MountainMama]

Wow, I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of that. How have you been handling it, emotionally and mentally?

It was rough at first. I cried when I had to get the first molar out. After the second extraction, and discovering the abscessed front tooth, I got depressed. After a few months, I realized it was affecting my family and my health (I lost 20 lbs). I saw my doctor and started antidepressants for situational depression. The idea is to wean off after 6 months. That helped a lot. I was able to get out of my own head and focus on the big picture...my health. Having a healthy mouth is more important than keeping all my teeth, or avoiding treatment because I am scared. Do I still procrastinate treatment? Yes...I am taking a break from it right now, because I realize I can't handle anymore right now. I still have pain in the molars on my left side, and know at least one needs a crown. I will come back to it in a few months, as long as it doesn't get worse. I am doing the same with my front tooth.

 

[letsconnect]

Just for the record, there's no credible evidence whatsoever that oil pulling and colloidal silver do anything for dental health in general (or infected teeth in particular), except line the pockets of coconut oil and colloidal silver vendors .

Root canal treatment generally speaking has a very high success rate, especially when done by a specialist (endodontist), and many root canal treated teeth last a lifetime. Of course, there are always outliers (like MoutainMama who's had an incredibly unlucky streak ).

 

[MountainMama]

Just for the record, there's no credible evidence whatsoever that oil pulling and colloidal silver do anything for dental health in general (or infected teeth in particular), except line the pockets of coconut oil and colloidal silver vendors .

Root canal treatment generally speaking has a very high success rate, especially when done by a specialist (endodontist), and many root canal treated teeth last a lifetime. Of course, there are always outliers (like MoutainMama who's had an incredibly unlucky streak ).

Yes, most people do have very successful root canals! Even though mine didn't work, I would still encourage people to try that over extraction if it is possible to save the tooth.