Root Canal VS Extraction?

2 years ago I had a root canal done on my #19 molar which was abscessed. A couple weeks later while chewing some gum a piece of the tooth broke off. I never went to get a crown. Now my tooth has an abscessed again and they want $1,600 for a retreat. After the crown the bill will be over $2,000





I got enough back on my taxes to cover it but am worried that the tooth will be a never ending money pit sine I will have spent almost $3,000 on it at the end of this procedure. Some people told me to get it pulled because every root canal they ever got on a molar had to be redone. On the other hand getting it pulled can cause teeth to shift, causing other problems, besides, I still have all my teeth. What should I do, I have no dental benefits?

Root Canal VS Extraction?
You could have a"bridge"
Reply:The most likely cause for the reinfection is not apoorly done root canal, but rather failure to properly restore the tooth--not trying to lay a guilt trip but supporting what may have been excellent endodontic therapy. If your dentist feels that the new unfection cen be trreated successfully and the tooth resotred so that it won't re-infect, I'd say go for it. The downside to losing the tooth is either a more expensive procedure to replace it(bridge or implant) or the hassles that come with having your teeth shift. Good luck.{Not all molar root canals fail, though because of the stress on the teeth fro meven normal use, they are more prone to breakage if not crowned}
Reply:It's late to point this out but you certainly should have protected a tooth that had root canal with a crown.





Now that you have the problem, the question is what is "best" not what is "good". For the money you quote, I suggest that you might have an extraction and a tooth implant. For whatever it's worth, dental benefits don't usually pay for implants anyway so it's only the out-of-pocket cash that is the problem.





Implants almost invariably bind well with the jaw ( the titanium interlaces with the bone structure ) and don't produce any problem after they have had time to heal. They do take a bit of time, however, since the extraction has to occur, then you have to wait for some healing, then there is a screw put into the bone, then it's checked and a crown is fitted to it.





Good luck!
Reply:root canal treatment on a molar is a very specialist field as there is three roots to be worked on . Make sure you are seeing an endodontist rather than a dentist for your treatment as these specialize in the field of RCT and have a better chance of gaining success.


You should have had the crown fitted on the tooth after your last set of RT. RCT treatment weakens the tooth and takes away the life line of the tooth thus causing it to be brittle therefore a crown is needed to restore the tooth to its natural - normal function. The molars are used for grinding our food therefore there is a heavy work load on them so i would suggest get the crown down ASAP if you decide to go down this line of treatment.


On the other hand extraction probally sounds cheaper but remember there is no better structure than your own natural tooth , however if ya do want to proceed with the extraction you could always have the gap filled with a bridge but these can be more expensive than a crown in some cases.
Reply:I had a root canal that didn't work as well... and had the tooth pulled shortly thereafter. Is molor 19 the last tooth? If so, I'd have it pulled. Mine was the last tooth in the back but luckily a wisdom tooth grew in to replace it! (I had the other 3 removed). Depending on how old you are and if your wisdom teeth aren't in yet, perhaps you could do the same? Good luck!
Reply:Why don't you just get it pulled and be done with it.I had seven infected teeth pulled out two days ago and it didn't cost nearly that much.Went to an oral surgeon and went to sleep to.