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I recently started eating 2 tbsp of coconut oil per day. Didn't realize it can be used as toothpaste. It helps to eat less sugar I'm sure.
Have you lost any teeth in the past?
Oh my goodness, a huge amount of my mouth is dental work and lost teeth and I didn't "wake up" to taking better care until I was probably 60 or so, I'm over 80. And no dental visits in years.
You can extract one now and it won't see so bad, but extract another one in a few years, and another one in another few years, etc., all throughout your life, and you'll end up with "teef" and not much chewing power, so fix them now with a root canal or a new crown, whatever you can do--just hold onto those teeth. You could replace those missing teeth eventually with bridges or implants, but it'll cost you big time.
Of your three options, I'm voting don't extract.
Yeah, it adds up over time. Regardless of the direction I go with this tooth, I am definitely stepping up the preventive care moving forward!
Oh my goodness, a huge amount of my mouth is dental work and lost teeth and I didn't "wake up" to taking better care until I was probably 60 or so, I'm over 80. And no dental visits in years.
I never had a cavity as a kid, and didn't have any cavities until I was in my 20s and had my first job with dental insurance. That dentist made a lot of money off from fillings, crowns, etc.
OP: If it were me and what I know now at my late age in life, I would do #1 and when I feel a bit of pain or discomfort, rub either tea tree oil, oil of oregano or myrrh tincture oil on the tooth and around it. I use all these oils for something paining my body.
Please add a disclosure when suggesting oils, because many people (myself included) are allergic to these things - and you especially don't want to put it in your MOUTH if that's a possibility! Always warn people to do a "patch test" on their skin first, and wait 24 hours to see if they have a reaction. It might be a great idea, but I'm just saying to be careful.
That being said, if OP does end up going with an extraction, I would recommend leaving it empty afterwards. Do you still have the wisdom tooth on that quadrant? If not, even more so to my suggestion. I had that same molar extracted on my bottom-left, no wisdom tooth behind it, and I don't miss either of them at all. Implants are not only expensive but potentially problematic, from what I've heard, and you don't need one in that space.
If not sensitive to heat / hot foods, endure it. The sensitivity may end over time.
But what do I know, I'm not a dentist.
My dentist (who is a dentist, lol) would say "it doesn't hurt until it DOES; and by then sometimes it's too late." And I totally get that, because a few times I waited too long, thinking it wasn't so bad and I could endure it - until that day when it suddenly became so painful I couldn't breathe, and had to call for an emergency appointment. The worst example was so infected by the time I got there, it had actually turned into a blood infection. The dentist said if I'd waited another day or two, I'd have ended up in the ER/ICU.
In other words, tooth pain doesn't magically go away; it just subsides temporarily, as whatever's wrong with the tooth/root silently worsens.
This is the last visible tooth before my wisdom tooth (which is hidden).
I am age 39. I had a crown put on it in my early 20s which recently fell off. Last year, my dentist (who has since retired) replaced the crown. While it helped, I still have issues from time to time. It doesn't hurt 99% of the time. It will sometimes hurt for a split second when I drink something cold, but not always. It will sometimes hurt when I brush it but not always. There have been a couple instances in the past month where it started hurting after I ate. I swished a salt water mixture and that took care of the pain.
With that being said, I went to get a second and third opinion. One dentist (the one who took over for retired dentist) said there is little chance in saving the tooth recommended extraction. Another dentist said the crown does not fit right and there is a small opening. That might explain the intermittent pain. He sent me to an endo who recommended a root canal as replacing the crown will likely not be enough. He said the chance of success is good.
I basically have three options:
1) Do nothing. I can live with it, at least for now, pain is rare and it's tolerable.
2) Get a root canal followed by a new crown for approx 2200 (1000 out of pocket).
3) Extract the tooth for 400 (minus whatever insurance covers) and either leave it be or install an implant (cost would be approx 4100 including a bone graft) and I'm not sure how much insurance would pay. With it being the very last tooth, I may not miss it much. According to the endo, an implant is more difficult to install there since that tooth is so close to the sinuses.
Should I get yet another opinion since the second and third opinion dentists disagree? I don't really want anymore x rays though as I have been zapped several times already.
Any feedback would be appreciated!
Don't get the tooth pulled, just don't! That's a large tooth that contributes a lot to your ability to chew. Get the root canal. You don't need more x-rays for another opinion, tell your dentist you want your x-rays they have to provide them to you!
That being said, if OP does end up going with an extraction, I would recommend leaving it empty afterwards. Do you still have the wisdom tooth on that quadrant? If not, even more so to my suggestion. I had that same molar extracted on my bottom-left, no wisdom tooth behind it, and I don't miss either of them at all. Implants are not only expensive but potentially problematic, from what I've heard, and you don't need one in that space.
Don't get the tooth pulled, just don't! That's a large tooth that contributes a lot to your ability to chew. Get the root canal. You don't need more x-rays for another opinion, tell your dentist you want your x-rays they have to provide them to you!
Maybe I'll get yet another opinion. Perhaps I should get copies of x rays from each dentist I've had them taken at and then take them to the next one.
I am not convinced that either a root canal or extraction is necessary. If it's a bad crown, a new crown that actually fits may get the job done. I think the occasional pain is due to the very small opening due to the crown not fitting correctly.
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