Root canal or pull the tooth?

I've no opinion, but good luck..

I have no dental experience except as a patient... but plenty of experience as a patient.

I thought that one reason for a crown is the risk that without the tooth the other teeth will shift. I assume your dentist has explained the risk.

If there is no risk, then I would go with the cheaper option.

I could be wrong but I think you could have it pulled and replace it with an implant cheaper then the root canal. Might be worth checking into.

I have a mouth full of both. I had the root canals done in the early 80's so they were much less expensive than today. The work was done by an excellent dental surgeon and I never had problems with them until they aged as much as the rest of my body.

After 30 years, some of the teeth those root canals were done in have weakened to the point that they've broken off at the gum line. In one section of my mouth, I have a permanent partial denture in place of those teeth.

Other teeth have just died on their own after being covered by fillings or crowns for most of my life. When they started crumbling and got to the point that they abscessed and caused pain, I had them pulled.

The rest of my teeth are about 15 years overdue for a second replacement of caps, crowns and fillings that I can't afford this time around. When it is their time, they too will be pulled and I'll eventually have full dentures.

I have soft teeth and have had dental problems since I was in first grade. My parents probably could have put several people through college with the money they shelled out for it. When I was paying the co-pays from my employer's dental insurance, I probably paid another $15k just in co-pay for my first set of replacement caps, crowns and fillings in the 80's.

So, in addition to deciding whether or not to pull or have a root canal, you'll also need to consider whether you'd want some sort of denture to fill the gap or leave it as is.

That's pretty much my thinking.

ditto

Life is long babe, and you're worth the expense. A tooth with no opposing tooth is likely to develop its own problems so it is more likely the eventual possibility of losing two teeth,

Get the damn root canal & crown. Your'e worth it. I'll contribute the $40 bucks you stuffed in the pocket of my jacket at lunch a few years ago. Hell, I'll do a factor of 10.

Well, I can just say that if it was me I'd have it pulled, because I don't have $3,000, pure and simple. If you can afford it, though, I'd want to try and keep it. As has been mentioned, neighboring and opposing teeth will be happier. Also, I don't know if this as much of a concern for human patients, but I know in the veterinary world we do have some concern about the integrity of the bone with the root removed. That said, most of us don't think much about pulling one tooth, and removing a nidus for infection is better than leaving it in...

I've had about three root canals and crowns.

But...I have good dental cover and haven't paid anywhere near that.

Two of the teeth have been fine for well over twenty years. One, that I had thirty years ago, has been a pain. One root was not discovered and so was infected for years. I had it fixed about 8 years ago, but it was never happy and I am having it out. The crown fell off the other day to add insult to injury.

I had my first ever tooth out a couple of years ago...a left upper wisdom and the left lower wisdom has gone feral and is growing and causing problems....

That's the main issue I can see with having your tooth out...except if you can do it I think it's likely better to have some teeth to play with as you get older!

Had a tooth problem four years back. My dentist was ready to do root canal. I wasn't happy with the idea of several procedures on a tooth one away from top left wisdom tooth. Had the tooth pulled, and haven't had any problems since. No teeth have shifted, so won't do an implant.

I hope you'll have good results with whatever you decide to do.

I am waiting for problems.
I had great dental care (more or less) for decades because I personally paid for all of it, and then I was shot by circumstances into dental care neverland.
S0, it's been seven years since I've seen a dentist, when I'd seen one every six months before that.


Yes, I floss.

If nature was truly intelligent, we'd have baby teeth, adult teeth, and a final set would grow in for the senior years. So, I cannot believe in intelligent design.

True. I'm beginning to see the virtues of the Browning Hi-Power over the 1911.

Just have the tooth pulled. It can save yo money and time.

Thanks, all, for your experience and opinions.

My husband had a tooth pulled in the late 70s in the upper right, third from the end and his teeth haven't shifted. He also had four root canals, two of which failed and had to be done again.

Based on that, and the fact that this is the end tooth, I am going with extraction. It's funny, but my right cheek is now all swelled up... how quickly that happened!

Georgeob1 - that's very sweet! I can afford it, I just don't think it's worth it, and I'd rather you saved your $ and called me the next time you're in my city. I have found a few good restaurants in this burg where I can take YOU for lunch.

I unexpectedly had a tooth pulled yesterday afternoon......that is, I wanted it pulled, but expected all I had yesterday was a ten minute appointment for them to look at it.

It is the one that was root canalled over thirty years ago.

They couldn't get the very end of the roots out....they hope they'll work themselves out. If they don't its oral surgery!

I hope the other root canal teeth don't do that when its their time!

Chihuahua!!

I had one pulled a few months ago, and the root also broke off. The guy spent an hour pulling, banging around, and finally getting it after cutting away a part of the gum. It was horrible.

I think it was best to follow up as he did, though. That root was tighter than would ever work itself out.

Actually, thirty years is a pretty good run, and at our ages I would consider that a permanate fix. Not that we're old, or anything.

Yes....I would expect anything done now that lasted thirty years to be a more than lifetime guarantee!

They did cut into the gum....still couldn't get it.

If not for the nitrous oxide I think I would have run away!