Root canal or tooth extraction on bottom left 1st molar?
I’m looking for nice, helpful replies only please.
I went to my dentist yesterday and thought I would have to get my filling refilled since the top and side of my tooth have another hole. Anyway, my dentist said I would have to get either root canal treatment done with a crown or get my tooth extracted. Because of my age (I’m 21) she suggested I went with root canal.
But she also said my success rate of the treatment would be a little lower as the tooth has bad decay, tooth is dead, and the abscesses are pretty bad. So its 80% success 20% failure.
Like all procedures she said if it doesn’t work out I would have to get the tooth extracted anyway.
I’m a very stressed out because she has made me feel like my teeth will be destroyed for the rest of my life if i get it extracted and not go with root canal. Problem is I don’t have health insurance and she has quoted me $2600 for the root canal and crown treatment. It has already cost me $295 for her to tell me to go home and make my decision.
Every where i have read it says root canal is better and tooth extraction is nothing but a disaster. I’m so confused. I can’t afford to have it done but don’t want my teeth to shift and so on.
I have another hole on the same tooth on the other side, which they "didn’t have time" to check so I have no idea what the go is with that tooth at all. My wisdom teeth are coming through at the back as well.
Can i have some help please cause im so confused and would like other people opinions or their experiences?
Success rate of an RCT should be 98%. If she can’t give that sort of promise then you may need to see an endodontist (RCT specialist).
The structural strength of the tooth AFTER the RCT is the real concern. This is where many teeth can fail despite a good RCT. For a crown to succeed, you need a fair amount of natural tooth structure for it to encircle. A crown is no use if it only surrounds a big filling.
However, if a crown is not suitable, then consider cusp-capping the tooth (with amalgam, not composite), and reinforcing it with posts and/or pins. They may not be pretty, but can work very well for many years, even indefinitely. A lot cheaper too.
If you possibly can do any of these options, then saving this tooth is a good thing. 1st molars are very strategic teeth with robust roots. If you have to have it taken out, you will regret it later. It is hard to replace.
If you do choose to have it removed, then the tooth behind will NOT tilt forward IF you also remove the "wisdom" teeth soon thereafter. Don’t simply extract the first molar and make the double mistake of leaving the "wisdom" teeth behind, or the wizzies will push over the 2nd molar and make a mess of your bite.
And… best of luck!
You say you can’t afford the root canal and you have wisdom teeth that need to come out.
Have you checked to see if there is a low-income sliding-fee-scale dental clinic in the town where you live or a nearby town?
My family uses one of those and though it can be a hassle- lots of paperwork to fill out annually and long waits for some types of appointments- we find it really saves us money and we do get good care. We all get a cleaning and exam every 6 months. For "Let me have a look, take an X-ray, hmm, now go home and think about it" costs us around $40, back tooth extraction costs $130, uncomplicated fillings are like $45, includes the X-ray and the "Hmm- what do we have here?" those white fillings are more like $80 something, I think the cleaning and exam is $35
Something to think about anyway.
Good Luck
References :
hello there.
actually root canal treatment (RCT) can probably 50% success only due to your real oral hygiene. Can you imagine if 20% or may be 50% treatment failure occur ed? that’s real disaster. Why? Because sometime you’ll be needed to redo the treatment. My opinion is that you do the tooth extraction. after all you can make a bridge. it’s some kind of crown.
References :
Success rate of an RCT should be 98%. If she can’t give that sort of promise then you may need to see an endodontist (RCT specialist).
The structural strength of the tooth AFTER the RCT is the real concern. This is where many teeth can fail despite a good RCT. For a crown to succeed, you need a fair amount of natural tooth structure for it to encircle. A crown is no use if it only surrounds a big filling.
However, if a crown is not suitable, then consider cusp-capping the tooth (with amalgam, not composite), and reinforcing it with posts and/or pins. They may not be pretty, but can work very well for many years, even indefinitely. A lot cheaper too.
If you possibly can do any of these options, then saving this tooth is a good thing. 1st molars are very strategic teeth with robust roots. If you have to have it taken out, you will regret it later. It is hard to replace.
If you do choose to have it removed, then the tooth behind will NOT tilt forward IF you also remove the "wisdom" teeth soon thereafter. Don’t simply extract the first molar and make the double mistake of leaving the "wisdom" teeth behind, or the wizzies will push over the 2nd molar and make a mess of your bite.
And… best of luck!
References :