Should I have my tooth extracted or have a root canal done, it's my last molar and there is severe decay to it

I can't really afford the $1100 it will cost for a post and crown but I was told my top molar will eventually fall out because it will have nothing to bite against when I close my mouth. Do you think that's just a line to get me to spend the money? I had never heard of that happening to anyone. Thanks for input!

Should I have my tooth extracted or have a root canal done, it's my last molar and there is severe decay to it
If its the last molar,3rd molar that is,go for extraction.No dentist does root canal treatment for the 3rd molar,since its very far back and sometimes,you'd find not just two or three canals,accessory canals(extra canals more)may be present,which would be more difficult for the dentist part and your part as well. (If ever,you're dentist does a root canal,then he's a hero.) Anyway,if its the last molar,it'll be non-functional.So I'd say go for the extraction.That's what we do and tell our patients.You could spend your money tp some other things,maybe a filling on one of your cavities,or cleaning! :p
Reply:i say go 4 the extracted if u n pain and don't want 2 b any more go 4 the extracted i did it didn't hurt much after and after a week u feel no pain at all as for a root canal i hear hurt a lot and u mayb in like 1 year have to have the tooth pulled anyway so i go with the extracted
Reply:In my experience you will just loose it anyway. So why go to the cost of a root canal and crown. Just yank it and have it done with. Good luck.
Reply:It is true that your top molar will come down out of your gums further. I don't know that it would just "fall out" but the roots will become exposed, and that's painful, unless you never eat anything cold or hot , or sweet ....
Reply:Get the tooth extracted. If you look like a gummy bear afterwards, as you might....get a bridge or something then.





Mind you....if its the last molar the rest of your gums and teeth must be in a yucky position too. Why not pull the whole lot and go for a proper full of dentures? No need to do the jobby, one by painstakingly one.
Reply:Put it this way, it will cost you a couple hundred bucks to extract it, should you decide down the road that you want that tooth replaced you have 2 options. 1. implant-- they cost about 4,000$ each. 2. Have a metal partial denture made from 800-1500$. Also, the tooth on the top will come down it is just a matter of time. It may not fall out but it will eventually super erupt. Here's a picture of a super eruption, no tooth was opposing it so it just went to the path of least resistance.


http://www.docere.com/MessageBoard/UserU...





You do have a 3rd option, that is when you have the tooth extracted you can just leave the area alone and it may just be fine. But if that upper molar has no opposing tooth or does not encounter some type of resistance, there is a good chance it will start to move.





Realize also you are going to be losing a lot of biting surface area, your molars are the workhorses of grinding and pounding your food, without the use of these teeth you put increased stress on your other teeth. Your other teeth have less root surface area and are much skinnier than your molars. Choose very wisely and be cautious of those who tell you to get rid of the tooth right now. It will cost you more in the long run.
Reply:Years ago, I had root canals on four of my teeth; two on each side of my mouth. I also had surgery on the same areas to thoroughly clean the roots of those teeth. Little did I know that ten years or so later I would have to have those same teeth pulled.


If you don't want to have the post and crown done; just get it pulled. A tooth is a tooth. When you start loosing them it gets serious. It's better to have a few good teeth than to have false teeth. They get big bucks for pulling teeth. I stopped going to a dentist because he was a puller. I told him more than once;"Why don't you want to do everything to save teeth? If you pull them all; you won't have any customers." We found out later from another dentist that he will pull anything. We found another dentist.





In the future, starting today, let your teeth be your number one priority. Do everything that you can to be good to them. Floss every day and brush often. Be careful of your gums. Don't brush them away from your teeth. A water-pic helps greatly to get in between your teeth. A wise investment.
Reply:I had a root canal done in November. Three months later I was still having major pain. I couldn't sleep on the side the root canal was done so when I went to see my dentist yet again for the pain, he ended up pulling the darn tooth! So here it is in April and I'm still having problems with pain. I've seen him twice this week, including today, because I feel something sharp under my gums where the tooth was extracted. He tells me it's the end of the socket and he'll round it off when he does my implant. But I'm not getting an implant. That would be another $2,000 out of pocket, so what in the heck am I suppose to do? I'd stay away from the root canal and just extract it. It's cheaper and it'll be over in a few minutes compared to waiting a couple of weeks for the permanent crown. I will never have another root canal if it was brought up to me. Good luck.
Reply:While it would be the cheaper alternative right now to have the tooth extracted,nothing is better then your natural tooth.If you have the tooth extracted,to restore chewing function and to prevent adjacent teeth from shifting,the extracted tooth must be replaced with an implant or bridge.This would require surgery or dental procedures on adjacent healthy teeth and can be far more costly and time consuming than a root canal and restoration of the natural tooth.





No matter how effective modern tooth replacements are,and they can be very effective,nothing is as good as a natural tooth.

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