Root Canal Filling or Tooth Extraction?

single_lonely

Bykerlass wrote: »

Extract and save yourself trouble further down the line!

is it worth losing a tooth
(OMG im attached emoticanely to my tooth!!!)
no seriously this is what i was asking the dentist, would it be better to have a falsie or my own with a crown???

anyone been in similar condition/ any dentists?

also is an extraction and a flasie (4 months later) ONE COURSE OF TREATMENT?
or would i have to pay ~£46 and ~£190

zzzLazyDaisy

Is the crown NHS or private? I only ask because £200 sounds cheap for a crown - mine cost £260 and that was about 8 years ago.

If it is private I'd ask around for a recommendation for a good dentist and make an appointment for my own second opinion.

Personally I'd go for the crown if at all possible, as if it is successful it is just like having your own tooth. But really you need an expert second opinion from a good dentist.

single_lonely

its at a NHS, cant afford private with kids!

welshdent

I cant comment on the prognosis of your tooth as I can not see it. Decay under the gum can indeed prevent restoration after any root fillings are carried out.
If you were to have the tooth out normal bone healing can be up to around 6 months. That would result in shrinkage of the bone compared to adjacent areas of bone with teeth present. The result of that is any denture/bridge placed prior to this may cause the prosthesis to become poorly fitting or give you a loss of aesthetics in the area.

Toothsmith

You can't really get advice based on that one tooth in isolation.

The treatment would depend on everything else that's present in your mouth, and the state that they're in.

There is a third option of extract and do nothing. Although it will feel strange to start with, we don't 'need' every single tooth in our head, and can cope perfectly well with two or three missing. (WHO suggest that health can be well maintained with just 10 teeth biting against 10 teeth)

If you have it out, you'll have 5 months to wait anyway - so if it gets to the end of that time and you're used to it, don't rush into getting another tooth drilled away at in order to support a false tooth you might not need anyway.

TCA

I find myself in a bit of a dilemma. I'm not a regular attendee at a dentist and spend most of each year working in Thailand so not registered anywhere. Having braved a clean and polish at the weekend I was told to come back today for a filling replacement. The latter being my main reason for going anyway. I only have the one filling and all I get it occasional pain when chewing in that area of my mouth and it goes away in a short time. It's upper mouth, second large tooth from the back.

So after the filling was removed it appears that the damage is deeper than first thought and an x-ray showed that apparently I need root canal treatment. One problem - I fly back to the UK tomorrow night for a stay of around 3 weeks. So the solution has been a temporary filling, which the dentist said likely would only last about 2 weeks, so I'd either have to come back to Thailand sooner than planned or seek out treatment in the UK. He told me to use Ibuprofen for any pain meantime.

Some 2 hours later I don't feel much discomfort and certainly wouldn't have felt any had I stayed at home today, so am now worried about any repercussions on the flight home, which amounts to 24 hour travel time all up. Sorry for the sketchy details but just after an idea of the discomfort level possible. Is it likely to be worse than before because the permanent filling has been removed? Or should it be OK if I just eat on the other side of my mouth?

Next question is what to do re treatment, which I can now obviously not avoid. Root canal sounds horrific after some googling and I don't think the dentist even mentioned extraction, which I almost think I'd favour. He also said the very rear tooth next door might need some work but not sure to what extent. Sorry again for the vagueness. And as I'm not even registered in the UK (Scotland is home), would it even be possible there at such short notice?

Any tips much appreciated.

candjsmum

TCA.
I had to have a root canal yesterday due to a filling coming out a few weeks ago. My dentist said at the time when he replaced the filling that the nerves were very close to my gums and may cause me problems. Although never having trouble before, after the filling i had numerous problems with eating and drinking hot and cold, and when the wind caught it, oh boy, did that cause me pain. Anyway, as we are going to Scotland next week for 3 weeks, i decided to pluck up the courage and go back for a root canal. Now I am the biggest ever wuss, trust me, and I was extremely nervous but to be honest it was fine. I didn't feel any pain, and it was all over in 20 minutes. He removed 2 nerves and apart from a bit of discomfort yesterday and a dull ache today its fine.
I too had heard horrendous stories and was prepared for the worse, but it was actually ok. Hope you sort it out soon. :beer:

TCA

Thanks candjsmum. Happy to say I flew home with no probs from the temp filling (despite many internet horror stories), so am a bit more relaxed about it all. Even moreso when I recall that even after the previous filling was taken out, there was no pain before the temp one went in. I'm eating carefully so no pain at present. Reading more about extractions and some people tend to regret it (for chewing purposes) and I also read about the neighbouring teeth drifting into the gap where the extracted tooth used to be. Don't know how common that is though. An a non-registered punter I think I'd be looking at pricey private treatment (non NHS) and potentially that could span several visits given it's a molar (which I may not have time for while I'm here), but my main thought now is whether I should be seeking out a second opinion as to what I really need done and how exactly I'd do that.

suki1964

Hold on to your teeth, you will regret having any removed that can be saved

Yes your other teeth will move. I have some pretty horrendous gaps between so many teeth now from losing molars.

Root canal fill is a piece of cake. It can be time consuming. Other then that its more the sensations and smells that make it a not so nice experience

Theres no such thing as being registered for NHS treatment any more. You want treatment you find a dentist and sign up for that treatment only.

There are NHS dentist about who will take on root canal depending on how difficult yours is.

Personally I would take the root canal over extraction any day. Right now my dentist is doing his best to save a remaining molar. Its been root filled in the past but Ive lost the tooth in front of it and cos Im a grinder Im now needing the tooth crowned . Yes its costing me a couple of hundred (NHS in NI) and taking what seems like hours of treatment but its worth it if it holds another 10 years

candjsmum

I was actually surprised at the cost. Because I had a filling a month back, the root canal was classed as continuous treatment so only £47 in total for the both appointments. I was waiting to pay another £47 yesterday so was happy not to. I can now say that tonight I have had the first cup of tea in a month without pain. Happy to go on my hols now next week!!:j