Root canal or have the tooth pulled?

[JohnnySic]

Say you had a cut on a finger that got infected. It's swollen, oozing puss and very painful. You go to the doctor and he/she says you have 2 options: 1. Surgically incise and drain the abcess and repair the damaged part of the finger with plastic surgery. 2. Amputate the finger. How many would choose option 2? How many doctor's would even offer option 2? People think their teeth are somehow separate from the rest of their body and they can just shuck them and forget about it.

.

2 important differences:

1.) You can always get a fake tooth put in later on that works just as well as the real one. New fake finger that works just as well? Unlikely.

2.) Fixing your finger would most likely be fully covered by insurance. Dental insurance tends to be less generous.

[Done_And_Done]

I had an upper tooth yanked in opposition of a root canal. Once I realized it wouldn't affect my bite and couldn't be detected when I smiled I said eff it. Take it out.

[rufuspaul]

2 important differences:

1.) You can always get a fake tooth put in later on that works just as well as the real one.

In most cases as long as you have enough bone to support the implant. Also costs $$$

2.) Fixing your finger would most likely be fully covered by insurance. Dental insurance tends to be less generous.

It's gonna cost you eventually. Either pay some now or pay a lot in the future. Your choice.

[MadeFromDust]

Slim to none. Those teeth have 3 roots so they are achored pretty well. What will most likely happen is that they will tilt at an angle toward the space. This creates periodontal problems as well as an increased risk for root caries. Get an implant if you can swing it. It's your best option.




And it's complete bullshit.

Such an unprofessional and ignorant response...enough to give reason to anyone to take your "advice" with a grain of salt.



"They (moslem terrorists) know how to get women to shut the f*ck up, which isn't always a bad thing."

-dufussaul

[rufuspaul]

Such an unprofessional and ignorant response...enough to give reason to anyone to take your "advice" with a grain of salt.

What would be unprofessional and ignorant would be spouting new age pseudoscience instead of evidence based medicine.

[enayes]

Rufus-

When I first read your cut on the finger analogy I thought it made pretty good sense. But looking back it's not an accurate comparison. An infected cut on a finger is more like a tooth that has a cavity, while a frostbit finger would be more comparable to a dead tooth that needs a root canal.

In the case of a frostbit finger you have no choice but to remove it, because it's dead flesh. I felt similar with my dead tooth.

Do you really feel that there are no dangers with having a root canal? (I'm referring to the whole the dentist is unable to get all the canals so bacteria stays in the tooth)

Also, I felt that with my molar the fact that it had a very deep filling and a crack some where that my dentist was unable to locate made it a risky root canal to perform. I just had a feeling that I would pay for the root canal, it would fail and then I would have to pull the tooth anyway.

[enayes]

Here's a pic of my extraction site the day after the operation:

[rufuspaul]

Do you really feel that there are no dangers with having a root canal? (I'm referring to the whole the dentist is unable to get all the canals so bacteria stays in the tooth)

Like in so many cases you need to look at the science and not the media. How many cases have been documented of these so-called missed canals causing cancer or other horrible things? There are millions, yes millions of root canals performed yearly btw.

Peer reviewed and evidence based science is the way to go imo.

[rufuspaul]

Here's a pic of my extraction site the day after the operation:

So sad to see a 1st molar go, especially with such a young patient. It's a very important tooth.

[MadeFromDust]

Rufus-

When I first read your cut on the finger analogy I thought it made pretty good sense. But looking back it's not an accurate comparison. An infected cut on a finger is more like a tooth that has a cavity, while a frostbit finger would be more comparable to a dead tooth that needs a root canal.

In the case of a frostbit finger you have no choice but to remove it, because it's dead flesh. I felt similar with my dead tooth.

Do you really feel that there are no dangers with having a root canal? (I'm referring to the whole the dentist is unable to get all the canals so bacteria stays in the tooth)

Also, I felt that with my molar the fact that it had a very deep filling and a crack some where that my dentist was unable to locate made it a risky root canal to perform. I just had a feeling that I would pay for the root canal, it would fail and then I would have to pull the tooth anyway.

You're right. Dentists do get it wrong, and it must be very common. It happened to me. First, a tooth that had been capped for years somehow resumed decay from the cavity underneath and the pain followed just like before. So I went to the dentist and he recapped it. Pain and decay continued. Went back and he was cornfused. He removed the cap and when he did puss and blood spewed out because it was under such pressure. Woah!

How did my tooth get into such a condition under the dentist's care? Why couldn't he get it right the first time when I went to him with the problem? Now he tells me that he didn't expect to find that kind of issue and recommended a root canal wtf? OK so I go to a root canal specialist, an endodontist. I had much preferred saving the tooth because I was ignorant about the dangers of trapped bacteria potentially causing heart disease, cancer, and other dangerous conditions at the time. The endodontist did his thing, but the tooth still felt weak and under pressure, infected but with less pain now.

Can you imagine? You go to the so-called experts in the field and they just can't figure out how to resolve, requiring multiple return visits and $ cha-ching. I had to go back to the dentist who said I need to go back to the endodontist. The endodontist "reperformed" the root canal, but this time he got it right, I guess. The tooth never felt right, but the pain and pressure was somewhat relieved now.

In hindsight now don't you think it would've been MUCH better and cheaper just to get the dang tooth pulled? Of course you do because that's the choice you rightly made.

I get the feeling root canals are some kind of a racket for them to make more money than with just a simple extraction. It's kind of like how the medical system is in such cahoots with the pharmaceutical industry that you just don't know if they care more about keeping you ill and dependent on meds than they do about curing your ailments. The dental field makes so much more money performing root canals than tooth extractions, so OF COURSE they are going to recommend the former regardless of your concerns about your overall health.

[enayes]

The fact that a dentist recommended a root canal without even looking at my tooth made my mind up for me. He literally came in, went to the computer and said, "So I see this tooth has been bothering you off an on for over a year, I say we just schedule the root canal and be done with it."

It wasn't hurting at the time so I didn't even bring up having it pulled with him but I knew I was not going to come back and do the root canal.

I know many people that have had failed root canals and I'm sure I know even more with successful ones but they don't talk about them. But in the end, there are many dentists today that look at root canals as a cure all and they perform them when the tooth is too far damaged already. I'm not an expert so I don't know for sure if my tooth was too damaged but I didn't want to take the risk and it was already infecting my gums.

[rufuspaul]

I didn't want to take the risk and it was already infecting my gums.

What happens the next time? Better get them all extracted now just to be safe.

[enayes]

What happens the next time? Better get them all extracted now just to be safe.

If my tooth only had the infection I would have went for the root canal.

Infection, deep cavity and a crack = pull the sucker for me.

[Stempel, HERB]

you really outsmarted those swindlers and used car salesmen who call themselves dentists.

new age hippie moron.

[enayes]

you really outsmarted those swindlers and used car salesmen who call themselves dentists.

new age hippie moron.

Tell that to anyone thats paid 2 grand to have a root canal fail and then have to get the tooth pulled anway, 10-15 percent of root canals fail