Root canal or pull a molar?

Question

This is a repost as I didn't add enough detail in my other question it seems.

I just came back from the dentist and it would seem that my back molar (last one back, before where my wisdom teeth would be) is badly chipped (a good 1/3 is chipped off) and is crooked and has a really bad cavitity in it. He is very adament about getting a root canal and crown and is strongly opposed to getting a tooth pulled.

The way I'm looking at is since the tooth is chipped badly, is my only tooth that is crooked and won't affect my smile as it's not visible, I figure getting it pulled is the easiest and fastest way to go about it. However, I keep hearing people say that I should keep it, even if it's under a crown which I don't see how it would be different than if I were to pull it and get an implant or something in its place later down the road.

Now I was wondering what the pros and cons of getting it pulled or getting a root canal.

Answer 1

its better to save a tooth if its savable.  The root canal will able your body to heal around the root and the crown will replace the missing part of the top of your tooth.  Not only that but to some degree the crown will allow the tooth to be slightly less crooked.  Its always better to keep a tooth, you have the most biting force in the back teeth, if you loose a tooth back there then you have less teeth to chew with.  Also the tooth that it bites against on the bottom will no longer have a partner if its taken out, this causes the bottom tooth to start moving upwards...as it does that it moves through the bone and can lead to problems with the gums around that tooth which could eventually lead to it being lost.  If you have it taken out you can get an implant to replace it but that will be more costly and less predictable than saving it.  Upper molars have three roots and are often hard to take out, this results in the loss of bone when it is removed and you may need to have a bone graft afterwards in order to provide enough bone for placement of an implant.  Depending on the position of your sinus you may also need a sinus lift to have an implant put in.  Its better and easier and cheaper to save your tooth than to take one out and put in an implant

Answer 2

i would get it pulled and that's my personal opinion. i have a root canal tooth with a crown that's getting pulled tomorrow because it failed and i don't want to go thru the hassle and financial cost to get it fixed which would be $1300 after i have already spent about 800 less than 2 years ago. like robots, everyone says  "keep your teeth", but i saw a video by dr mercola saying why you shouldn't get a root canal and it makes sense to me. your tooth is dead and there's no way to keep a clean sterilized dead tooth, bacterial invasion. keep an open mind and check it out on youtube do a search for "dr mercola root canal". next year when my benefits for insurance kick in again i'm gonna opt for a flexible partial denture since the tooth is near the front of my mouth. i myself wouldn't bother with an implant since it's costly and i'm in the process of saving up for a house and also there's a risk that an implant can fail too. i would never get another root canal done again and now i plan to never get another one. my husband had his back tooth pulled due to decay and he said it took some getting used to when would eat food and it getting in the space, but now it's no problem. if i knew that i was gonna have a failed root canal i would have just got it pulled back then. don't get pressured into doing something that you don't want to do. you also have to replace crowns after 5 to 10 years on average but sometimes they last longer or even a lifetime. depending on where you live and what type of insurance you have will determine how much you will pay for root canal and crown. check to see also how much benefits you have remaining for dental too while making a decision. sorry to go on, but it's just my opinion. just adding there is a chance that your teeth could shift if you leave the space open. maybe you could ask to have a night guard or a retainer or a spacer made to keep the space as is. so there's pro's and cons to pulling and the same with root canal and crown and even implants

Answer 3

Dentist may just want money...idk

I will take at least $500 to pull, and another 1200 to implant and another $500 to crown.  

The dentist's way is probably about $1200 all total.  The implant wil last forever, your natural tooth will likely decay naturally, esp at the gum line, and require further attention.

I;d pull it since, once the implant has been planted, your teeth will require very little maintenance, and cause you little or no pain.

TX Mom

Answer 4

There are several reasons why its better for you to save the tooth with a root canal and a crown.

First, it is ALWAYS, 100% of the time better to keep a natural tooth than to replace it with an implant. Period. Implants don't always work. Some peoples' bodies reject implants; some people have allergic reactions to implants. Nothing beats your natural tooth.

Second, if you pull the tooth, the bone that the roots of that tooth are anchored into will have no reason to be there anymore. The bone around tooth roots is different than other bone. Its sole purpose is to support your teeth. If there is not a tooth/rooth there for that bone to support, the bone 'resorbs.' It goes away. Have you ever seen someone with dentures who has taken their dentures out? They seem to have a sunken appearance in the mouth area? This is because they have no teeth to support that bone, and the bone has basically dissolved.

(this last one is harder to explain...) Third, when you bite down, your teeth hit up against each other with opposing force. Bite down. Feel how your top molars hit your bottom molars? If you pull this tooth, the opposing tooth will have nothing to hit up against when you bite down. Over time, what will eventually happen is that the opposing tooth will start to hyper-erupt. Meaning, it will work its way into the vacant area where your pulled tooth used to be. This would make getting an implant in the future impossible because the opposing tooth would damage the implant.

Lastly, pulling this tooth could cause your surrounding teeth to shift. Teeth tend to drift forward. So, if there is an open space where a tooth has been pulled, the teeth that are 'behind' it will start to move forward and this can affect your bite as well.

Sorry if any of this is confusing. It's easier to explain when I can use my hands or show you some diagrams!

But, trust me! It's SOOOOO much better (yes, more expensive) to keep your tooth!