Should I get my Root Canal Pulled or Capped

I had a root canal about 3 years ago and have been needing a cap for some time.

A piece of my tooth chipped where the root canal filing was placed located on the bottom of the tooth facing the tongue .
The chip caused my tooth to crack down the middle almost to the gum.

This happened almost a year ago. I went to the dentist when it happened and i was told that the cap would be expensive. I was told to make another appointment once i get a letter in the mail regarding insurance to see if it was affordable.

I never got anything in the mail and i have just been to lazy to call the dentist.

My tooth has decayed greatly since the chipping.
The crack and chip have widened a decent amount from the decay.
My tongue scrapes against the crack on my tooth and gets cut. The tooth used to be really sensitive to hot and cold temperatures but that only lasted a month.

I have been sick for about a month. Some sort of virus but for the last 2 weeks i have been feeling better. Just haven't been able to kick the cold. Don't want to go to the doctor cause all they will give me are anti-bionics.

My tongue has been green/yellow for the last week. I can't scrub it off with a tooth brush.
I looked it up and read it was caused by infection.
I don't know if this is caused by the tooth or my sickness or both.


So to the question should i get my tooth pulled or get it capped. I plan on calling the dentist very soon.

Now i looked some stuff up and i found this.
NaturalDentistry

So why do so many root canals result in infection? Simply put, the roots aren’t fully sterilized and not 100% filled. This results in pockets of potentially harmful bacteria that are “sealed” into the tooth, away from blood-flow that fights infections. In short, it becomes a haven for bad germs

Link also shows some nasty pictures of infected roots of a root canal tooth. I hope my root is not infected.

I also found this on a forum 2nd Post

When you lose a grinding tooth (a molar), the integrity of the structure is destroyed and you now have to make the tooth next to it, do the work of both teeth. One tooth is not meant to do that much work for the rest of your life. You'll eventually probably lose the other tooth, whether it's now, or 30 years from now. If you've heard "so many" horror stories about failed root canals, then you must be doing a google search for "failed root canals." Try not doing that. Every time you look for trouble, you will find it. It exists. But for every one of those horror stories, there are thousands and hundreds of thousands of root canals that were uneventful, and not worth mentioning on the internet. That is why you don't see them. You are looking for an excuse to not get a root canal. Read more: www.city-data.com...

I hate the dentist and am not looking forward to any procedure on my tooth.

I'm leaning more on pulling my tooth because of the condition it's in. I also wonder if i should get over my cold before i get my tooth pulled.

I would also like to know what would be good tooth replacements for a pulled tooth.

Because of the condition of the tooth and being the structural integrity has all but been destroyed an extraction may be your only option now as the cap wouldn't be stable. But its best to see a dentist to confirm or not and to see if you have infection from the tooth decay

reply to post by ugahm


Extract it !!!

Extraction will probably be your best bet from your description it seems like there isn't much of the original tooth left. However your dentist will probably want you on some form of anti-biotic for a few days prior to an extraction if it is badly infected like you say.

Source - Myself. Its happened twice to me. Exactly the same way you described it.

Extraction. I had two root canals with crowns and they would dislodge at least once a year. Id get them glued back on only to have them fall off and be chomped on while eating (ouch!). Eventually both were beyond repair and had them pulled.

Lol, had mne pulled this morning, didnt want the drill. Had really baf tooth over the weekend so had emergency appointment. But remember, once its gone you dont grow it back

So up to you. For me it was easier yo have it pulled as it was a molar tooth right at the back.

Have it ripped out! I had recurrent problems with an abscess under a tooth, then had it removed, and been pain free since.

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm glad there are some with similar experiences. All info helped alot.

I plan on getting my tooth extracted.

reply to post by ugahm


Well let's hear it for regular dental checkups and regular oral care. Not a doctor nor a dentist but a firm believer in oral hygiene. Got a couple root canals myself, not fun at all, but beats being toothless.

I have dealt with these tooth issues myself, but never ended up with the green tongue

Seriously though, I would get that thing pulled ASAP...

It has most likely abscessed and will really get even worse than now....

Get it pulled might cost around $200-$300 in the USA,

I had one pulled a year ago and it was a flat fee of $200..

I also had them do the partial root canal just like what you got, and now it is almost the same as yours, because I have not been back to get it capped because it is another $1400 which is rediculous...

If you don't get that thing fixed soon you could end up in serious bad shape...

reply to post by alienreality


Already made an appointment for tomorrow. I just want this thing out of my mouth.

Thanks for the price input. I thought an extraction would be a little cheaper than 200-300.
Tongue is still green hope that goes away after i get this tooth out its kinda gross.

Very glad to hear you will be gettin' to the dentist tomorrow

Let us know how you are feeling when you get back online and stuff

I bet you will feel like you won the lottery after that thing is out of there!

A bad tooth can cause unbelievable things to happen to a person if the pain reaches a very high level...Pain like that can also cause a person to lose their emotional health also..

I remember waking up at 2AM a few years ago with that root canal I mentioned before, and it hurt so bad I couldn't sleep or concentrate on anything, but somehow lasted through the night using ice packs and stuff, until I made it to the dentist that next morning...

I asked that dentist that day how they fixed root canals back in the old west days, (1885) and he told me that they used to take a wooden peg and smash the tooth right down to the gumline and make it so it drained, but that only helped the "victim" (patient) for a few days until it started infecting heavily again.. I can't remember what else they did, but the dentist methods back in those days were very very primitive..

Cheers

Originally posted by GoldFalcon
reply to post by ugahm

 

Well let's hear it for regular dental checkups and regular oral care. Not a doctor nor a dentist but a firm believer in oral hygiene. Got a couple root canals myself, not fun at all, but beats being toothless.

Sure, if you have dental insurance, which many people cannot afford in this economy. I recently had only one root canal and crown done, and even with my dental coverage, I paid over $2500.00 out-of-pocket after my "insurance" was capped at $1750.00 annually.

Here is 1 of many videos about root canals and cancer.


youtu.be...

Sorry, I gave the wrong link. Here it is.


youtu.be...

I had to get my appointment moved to yesterday.

I didn't get my tooth pulled. My dentist said it would be a mistake to get that tooth pulled. The crack that i had was still in tact the tooth hadn't split.

So i know am wearing a temporary metal cap. In two weeks i will get a permanent porcelain cap.

I kinda wanted that tooth pulled. It was getting aggravating, seems like it would just feel good to rip it out with pliers.
The doctor insisted i keep the tooth tho.

Thanks for all the advice any way people.

reply to post by MNnativeamer


Well i got my root canal hollowed out. They said a cement substance was filled into the tooth. Then that skined the outside of my tooth to fit on the cap.

I am unaware of any toxic chemicals that could be in my tooth. I don't think i have amalgam in my tooth. I really hope i don't.

Do you think there is any thing toxic about my modified root canal-ed tooth.