i have a bad tooth, lower left jaw, last tooth in the line, get it pulled, or root canal done, what do you think

Wife had a root canal last week.  
Hurt for 4 days.
Gave her some good pain drugs.
Gets a cap or crown this afternoon.

If it's the very back one, and you have all the rest, let the cost decide for you.  Root canals cost more than a preban.

They HURT and cost a shitload!

Depends what's "bad" about it and how "bad" it is, and whether or not you're willing to risk having your other teeth shift.

It could be that the tooth can't be saved regardless.  Then pull it.  If it can be saved (meaning root canal), it's often better to do so.  This way, the other teeth don't move into bad positions.

Is this a wisdom tooth?  If not, were your wisdom teeth pulled?  The fact that it's a back tooth helps somewhat in the bad-teeth-shifting department.

If it's just a cavity, it may be fillable without root canal work.

Has your dentist made a recommendation either way?  (Have you seen a dentist about it?)

Isn't there one in Panama and Suez?

I had one about 6 weeks ago.  It was a breeze.  Minimal post-op pain at the time and now its doing great.  My intent is to die with all my own teeth so I opted to get teh canal done rather than pull it.

Kent

wisdom teeth are all gone, the nerve in the tooth died, now it is infected, i have a choice, root canal, or remove it, the dentist of cour$e wants to do the work of a root canal

How are your other teeth, the condition of your mouth in general, any other big problems?

And, if you're willing to say, how old are you?

I'm personally leaning toward suggesting extraction (pulling), barring unusual answers to the above.

Whichever you choose, do it soon.  In rare cases, the tooth infection can get into your brain, and you turn into a zombie.  Well, you die.  Then you become a zombie.

(2 zombie comments in one day - what's happening to me?)

In Maryland:

$180 office call

$1250 per tooth

plus, you have to pay to cap it w/6 months


but..........in Mexico, using a white Harvard grad dentist:

$20 office call

$200 per tooth

My root canal was painless, and done on Uncle Sam's dime.  My wife's were also painless, and even though insurance paid half, it was still expensive, but worth it.

Quoted: In Maryland: $180 office call $1250 per tooth plus, you have to pay to cap it w/6 months but..........in Mexico, using a white Harvard grad dentist: $20 office call $200 per tooth

Dang! your being raped!!  I got mine, cap and all, in one visit for $1350.

Kent

Quoted: In Maryland: $180 office call $1250 per tooth plus, you have to pay to cap it w/6 months but..........in Mexico, using a white Harvard grad dentist: $20 office call $200 per tooth

I'd bet that 'dentist' printed his diploma with his home PC.  How does anyone pay for a school like that, when they are charging so little?

Keep the tooth, have the root canal. I got a second opinion before I had mine and both Dentists said the real thing is better than implants, etc.

The worst part of a root canal for me wasn't the procedure but having my mouth wedged wide open for so long. Afterwards my jaws hurt way more than the tooth.

For me it was $750 for the root canal and another $750 for the crowm.

I had to get one down about a year and a half ago. Hurt like hell for 2-3 days.

Its not that bad.

Quoted:

Keep the tooth, have the root canal. I got a second opinion before I had mine and both Dentists said the real thing is better than implants, etc.

I concur...if the tooth can truly be saved, and if there's no damage to the underlying structures, then it's good to save the tooth.  If this tooth was all infected and nasty for a long time, it's possible the socket (i.e. the jawbone) is also damaged and won't properly hold an implant.  But you'd need x-rays to see if that's the case.

If it wasn't all the way in the back, you'd be looking at root canal, or extraction and a bridge (about as expensive, and disrupts two more teeth).

But as I said before, pick one and do it soon, before that infection spreads.

Had a molar RC'd back in Feb., cost $1,100. I thought it was a wisdom tooth so I let it get really bad before I went in to have it fixed. I've been unemployed for most of the last three years, so no benefits to pay for it.

Anyway, it was uncomfortable getting it done because I let it get so bad. Afterwards wasn't very painful to be honest. The dentist prescribed 600mg Motrin, I ended up not taking any of it.

Don't fuck around with this dude, If you wait too long, not only will you suffer more for it when you go in, but you might lose the tooth entirely, and in a worst-case scenario the infection will spread into your brain vie the nerve bundle that runs to the teeth. You can die from that.

Dave

Follow the dentist's recommendations and get the root canal.  I promise you won't be sorry in the long run.  I've had about five in my lifetime.  My dental hygene sucked as a kid and I cracked some teeht while engaged in violent behaviour during my military career.  In one case the tooth was cracked for years and hurt like hell off and on until it just busted wide open one day.  Fixing THAT one was really painful.

The procedure isn't too painful despite what you're hearing here.  If the novacaine takes good effect, you should be plenty numb.  If it doesn't TELL THE DENTIST!  He'll give you more.

The dentist will drill a hole through the top of the tooth and open it up to get at the nerve and root structure.  He will then use a tiny serrated powered or hand drill thingy to get down into the tooth and literally yank the nerve out...by the roots!  He'll quickly clean out all crappy stuff in the roots, flush it well and dry it out.  Then he'll insert a gutta-percha (rubber like stuff) into the root hole he's created, take some x-rays to ensure he's filled the hole up properly and trim the top off and seal it up with a temp of amalgum or whatever filling material they use now.  Then he'll take a rubber impression for the crown and fit a temp crown on it.  You're out of there for about two weeks until the permanent comes in.  Delivery of the permanent takes about 20 minutes.

You might feel some pain during the very start...but it is worth it to keep your teeth.  Your pocketbook will be lighter by about $1350 - $1650 depending on where you are.  Typically it is about $750 for each part of the procedure...the operation and the crown.

Now...IF you decide to just have him pull the rotten tooth...it will leave a hole that will cause downward "creep" of the tooth above, ruining your bite and eventually causing you to lose that tooth as well.

See...I told you I've had a lot of root canals and crowns!  

Quoted: Quoted: In Maryland: $180 office call $1250 per tooth plus, you have to pay to cap it w/6 months but..........in Mexico, using a white Harvard grad dentist: $20 office call $200 per tooth I'd bet that 'dentist' printed his diploma with his home PC.  How does anyone pay for a school like that, when they are charging so little?

Volume maybe?

Quoted: See...I told you I've had a lot of root canals and crowns!

Fixed it for ya.    My mother-in-law (who was born with really decay-prone teeth) has said on numerous occasions that the root canal procedure always hurt less than the tooth did before it was done.

Ya know, with the infection and need for x-rays, I have to say...

This thread is worthless without pics.

BTW, I don't believe dentists are allowed to give extracted teeth to the patient.  Wifey had her wisdom teeth out a year or two ago (afterward was the quietest two hours of my marriage    ), but the oral surgeon had to "dispose of properly" because of biohazard regs.

This means you must bring your camera with you if you get the tooth extracted.

Notes on putting off dental work...


www.j-tull.com/musicians/pastmembers/johnglascock.html

John had been with Jethro Tull three years, when he became gravely ill on the Heavy Horses European tour. It was discovered that a tooth infection had spread to his heart, seriously damaging a weak valve, a condition he had inherited from his father. He underwent major heart surgery, to replace the valve, but he never totally recovered. John missed the 1978 Bursting Out tour in the U.S in the fall of 1978, then returned for the second leg the following spring. He played his last gig on May 1, 1979, in San Antonio, Texas, three years to the day of his first gig with Jethro Tull. John's condition deteriorated during the recording of the Stormwatch album, forcing him to leave Jethro Tull. He was replaced by David Pegg. On November 17, 1979, after his body ultimately rejected the new valve placed in his heart, John Glascock died. The suddenness of his death, especially at his young age was a terrible and lasting shock to the many people who loved him, and didn't get to say goodbye. To this day he is sadly missed. He was only 28yo's...!

You said last tooth lower left? That would be #17, a "wisdom" tooth. Have them yank it and be done with it. It's not worth a root canal and crown.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: In Maryland: $180 office call $1250 per tooth plus, you have to pay to cap it w/6 months but..........in Mexico, using a white Harvard grad dentist: $20 office call $200 per tooth I'd bet that 'dentist' printed his diploma with his home PC.  How does anyone pay for a school like that, when they are charging so little? Volume maybe?

Anybody ever seen the movie "Bad Medicine"

I've always had f*up teeth, not lack of hygiene, but they were handed down to me.  Anywho, I've hard four root canals, one hurt like a son of a gun, the rest I didn't feel anything but the first injection. The one that hurt, my general denist at the time did it.  The last three, I went to an endodontist(root canal dentist)and none of them hurt, I think it pays to go to a specialist!  The last root canal would have cost my about $1500.00, but my wife works for him so I paid ZERO.

Now, two weeks ago I had to have an extraction, that was painless believe it or not.  That night it hurt, but i was given some feel good pills and they worked like a charm.

Today, I had another extraction that was painless and still can't feel my tongue.

I've had two root canals and although they suck---your jaw cramps up and it takes FOREVER---it ain't that bad afterward.  I've also had two teeth out (preparatory to getting braces) and it made me want to puke and bled for two days.  Get the root canal.

I chipped a tooth that is maxed out with fillings. Now I need a root canal and two crowns.
I'm delaying it as long as po$$ible because it's not hurting.

Damn, the guns I could buy with that money.
My insurance only covers $1,000 per year, gonna take about $2400.

It's not that I'm cheap, I really hate going to the dentists.

the infection isbeing treated with amoxocillin, when it goes away i will get something done asap, i just have not decided to pull, or repair....

I’ve had two root canals.

One wasn’t much of a problem.  The other was abscessed and was very painful (the dentist shot me up to the point where my eyelids were numb - and it still really hurt!!).

I’d suggest you take a couple of Advils maybe a half hour before you show up at the office.

Good luck!

Quoted: ...I'm delaying it as long as po$$ible because it's not hurting...

Bad idea!!

If that thing gets abscessed, you won’t be able to get to the dentist’s office quick enough!!