Should I get a root canal or pull the tooth? (teeth, pulled)
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I need a root canal in a top molar second from the back tooth. It is very infected right now so I'm on antibiotics to kill the infection. I'm very nervous about the root canal and thinking about getting IV sedated for it if possible. I have heard of SOO many root canals never actually helping the tooth and having to get it pulled anyway later on. I'm worried about this happening especially since I'd be paying for the root canal out of pocket and then for it to not work or something. It would be a waste of the money. Do I root canal it or just have it pulled? I am 28 years old as an FYI if that matters.
I also dont want to pull it and then get an implant or bridge or anything. But the dentists say it will screw up your teeth by leaving a space is that true or a ploy to get money? Because I know 3 people who have had teeth pulled over 10 years ago and their teeth have never shifted into the hole. ???
Molars are what you use to grind your food. Without them, you're eating ice cream and applesauce, ground chicken, and green pea mousse for the rest of your life. If you pull a molar out and don't replace it with -something,- then the gum in that spot will no longer have support, or circulation, or protection to the bone and sinus cavity behind it. Teeth serve multiple functions; to chew, grind, provide a guideline for the placement of the jaw. to protect the sinuses and bone structure of the jaw, and to exercise and provide blood circulation to the front half of the skull.
When you lose a grinding tooth (a molar), the integrity of the structure is destroyed and you now have to make the tooth next to it, do the work of both teeth. One tooth is not meant to do that much work for the rest of your life. You'll eventually probably lose the other tooth, whether it's now, or 30 years from now.
If you've heard "so many" horror stories about failed root canals, then you must be doing a google search for "failed root canals." Try not doing that. Every time you look for trouble, you will find it. It exists. But for every one of those horror stories, there are thousands and hundreds of thousands of root canals that were uneventful, and not worth mentioning on the internet. That is why you don't see them.
You are looking for an excuse to not get a root canal. Here's the rule of thumb: If a tooth CAN be saved, then it SHOULD be saved. With the exception of the wisdom teeth; and even with those - if they're not causing any trouble or present a risk to the alignment of the jaw, then they should stay right where they are.
That is the rule. Whether you want to be the exception to the rule is up to you. But it won't change the rule, and the rule won't change to make you feel better about taking a risk to your health.
I had two of my back molars pulled instead of getting the root canal and my teeth are just fine. I had one on the bottom and one on the top pulled on the same side. My dentist explained to me that mine would be beneficial to pull because my teeth were so tight that I could not even floss correctly. (I've always had straight teeth, but always difficulty with flossing and I always have deep cavities) My floss would always fray even when the dentist would floss them. At that time, I didn't have the money to afford a root canal anyhow so I opted to have them pulled after he explained this to me. My teeth, though they loosened enough to where I can floss much more easier, never shifted into the holes and I'm glad I had them taken out. I don't think that I'd have done it that way if I hadn't had tight teeth to begin with. I'd have waited till I had the money saved to get the root canals.
I need a root canal in a top molar second from the back tooth. It is very infected right now so I'm on antibiotics to kill the infection. I'm very nervous about the root canal and thinking about getting IV sedated for it if possible. I have heard of SOO many root canals never actually helping the tooth and having to get it pulled anyway later on. I'm worried about this happening especially since I'd be paying for the root canal out of pocket and then for it to not work or something. It would be a waste of the money. Do I root canal it or just have it pulled? I am 28 years old as an FYI if that matters.
I also dont want to pull it and then get an implant or bridge or anything. But the dentists say it will screw up your teeth by leaving a space is that true or a ploy to get money? Because I know 3 people who have had teeth pulled over 10 years ago and their teeth have never shifted into the hole. ???
Have the root canal and have it as soon as possible. Find a good dentist that will work with you on cost or payments if necessary. You won't need IV sedation, just normal meds that the dentists give will do the trick. You are young; best of luck to you! Save that tooth!
I would be MUCH more nervous about permanent, irreparable brain damage and possibly death caused by an infected tooth, than I would be about getting a root canal.
Get the root canal. Don't wait, the infection could go to the bone and that is bad. Most endodontist accept credit cards or will work out a payment plan. but I would do whatever to not lose the tooth.
I've had 7 root canals, and never had a problem with any of them. I personally would choose a root canal over pulling, if you can save the tooth.
+1. If you relax during the procedure you will enjoy the results. I have nearly fallen asleep during some of mine. I have 4 and they are all trouble free. I am not sure why God put nerves in there in the first place. Go for sedation or soothing drugs if you must. Good luck.
"sure He has His reasons"
With a root canal you absolutely need a Dentist or (ok I forget what they are called but they do more cosmetic work like root canals) Dental specialist. A root canal is really no more traumatic than a filling but it takes much more time. If you can sit through a deep filling, you can sit through a canal. The thing is when you get a root canal done you MUST get a permanant crown placed on it within a short time frame and that can cost more than the root canal procedure. Ask your Dentist about the crown and cost. Anyway if you do not get the hard crown placed on the now dead tooth it may break off if you chew something hard and then you will lost the tooth. There are also other reasons you could lose a root canal tooth even after paying all that for the procedure. If I could afford it (root canal and crown) and I was confident in my Dentist I'd opt for the root canal if only because once the tooth is gone, it's gone forever unless you want an implant later. But an extraction isn't the end of the world either if you choose that.
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