Root Canal or Extraction...WWYD?

Root canal takes time and a couple of trips to the dentist especially if youre having a crown fitted too, it also costs wonga. Having it out it simple, quick and a 5 minute job, never to have to worry about it again.

I speak from experience 2 root canals later, one with a crown Ive still got 16 years later and one that had to be extracted last year anyway so a waste of time and money!

If I had to make a choice I'd choose root canal over extraction any day.

I had a bad experience with a tooth extraction a few years ago, and I hope to never have it again. I've had root canal approx 3 times now and it has never been painful for me.

BUT you need to choose which is the best option for you and your teeth. There's no point in having root canal if it's unlikely to save the tooth in the long term. Take an iPod/mp3 player to distract you whilst in the dentist's chair.

? for you, as tooth pain is the pits.

Depends on hopw much you will miss the tooth

i've had root canal a couple of times (cr@p teeth) and it's not pleasant and i hate the dentist too

having it out is definitely easier and cheaper but then you will have a gap and that may be uncomfortable unless it is the very last tooth iykwim

i would say root canal to keep the tooth if you can bear it

I wish I'd had an extraction instead of a root canal 3 years ago. The tooth broke and I lost the filling but since I'm upduffed I've had to have a temporary filling shoved in.

As a fellow dentistphobe I'd take the quick and easy option every time

HTH and hope it's not too sore

Oh poor you.

As a dentist's daughter, and the not very proud owner of both a gap and a root canal + crown; i feel your pain!! ☹️

Counting your front tooth on that side as 1, how many back is the offending tooth?

I have a gap a number 5 on the top, and under that is a crown (ie a root canal job with a porcellein false tooth on top) (i sound gorgeous don't i?!!) Gissakiss.

I would say if it's number 5 or further back then you can get away with a gap so long as the one under / on top is in decent nick. Any further forward and the gap would be visible when you speak / smile so def get a root canal. I am not sure whether a root canal automatically means you have a crown as well - or if it can be just a heavy duty deep filling in the existing tooth root and you don't need a crown on top.... i think the 2 go hand in hand though.

Despite growing up in a dental surgery, i am the world's worst patient. My dad did my treatments and i played up something chronic. Perhaps i'd not have had such hysterics for a 'stranger'.... but to be honest, it wasn't ALL that bad - about 40 mins of discomfort (even after the anasthetic) for the initial root canal, and then a temporary crown (rather like a big lump of plastic nothing like a tooth) for a while, then the crown fitting was fine.

To be honest, the extraction wasn't that much better - so if means allow (i think a crown can cost a bomb) then you may as well have the root canal and keep a tooth there.

ON the up side of being a dentist's daughter; when old people lost or replaced their gold teeth, my dad saved them all and eventually had gold bracelets made for all his daughters!!! Niiiiiiiiiice. ?

??

Root canal should just be boring and you have to keep your mouth open for a long time. Have you had an abcess on that tooth? If so nerve should be dead and it shouldn't be painfull.

I'd go for RCT every time.

Oh dear, I used to keep a jar of scrap crowns and they smelt soooooo bad! ?

When I needed my gold crown replacing I asked the dentist if I could keep the one he took out, seeing as Id paid good money for it, I have it in a little presentation box! Theyre not cheap and I wasnt giving it up!

Thanks everyone....still none the wiser really.

Hubble, the tooth is second from the back...I think,if I'm counting correctly, it's sixth from the front?

I don't relish the idea of a hole in my mouth, but really hate the thought of root canal...ugh....

Thanks for posting this catwoman. I also need to make this decision and can't decide what to go for. It took me 12 years to pluck up the courage to go to the dentist so I'm not looking forward to going back again! It's my 6th tooth back so it won't be visible to others but I don't know if I can cope with the gap.

Let us know how you get on?

No, no abcess...the tooth is just very decayed inside due to a previous cracked filling that I left for too long.

I HATE having my mouth open for a long time...hmmm.....gah....balls....

I've had both in one tooth- root canal filling to help my crown last a few more years. It lasted 15 years so I suppose that was money well spent. I finally had it extracted a couple of months ago and now have a very attractive gap. Mine is 4th from front so very obvious.

I'd say extraction is best if it's a back tooth, root canal if further forward. I found extraction more painful but quicker, while root canal treatment was quicker to heal. My extraction site was agony for about 4 days (but I had good painkillers) but then was bliss. I'm now just dreading the expense of putting an implant in...

Well, having had to have a root canal done 3 times on the same tooth I would say extraction is easiest - and despite the last root canal the tooth still isn't right and I will be having it removed.

I've had both (geeze, don't I sound in great dental shape - it's actaully the only dental work I've had, I have one other tiny filling).

I had a root canal and crown on my back upper left tooth last year and had the next to back on the bottom right removed about 5 years ago after it was bady damaged and getting it crowned wasn't an option.

The crowned site is easier to eat on but whilst I was having that work done I tended to chew more on my right side and now don't really favour either side.

The crown is way more expensive and in my case an utter pain as It was hard to get at and then they had difficulty getting the crown quite right so I had about 6 apointments to get it all done whereas the extraction was doe in one. Leaving a gap can cause your other teeth to shift and may create problems but i've been fine with mine. My current dentist keeps trying to talk me into having a post and false tooth done but that sounds expensive painful and utterly unecesary but this is America I wouldn't expect anything else from them.

? God, I really don't know what to do...I'm such a wimp. It's not hurting me really, perhaps I'll just ignore it...[wibble]

H has nearly finished root canal treatment after leaving a broken tooth for far too long. It cracked when I was in labour and he finally went to the dentist when M was 16m. It's been a long and expensive process - his was really bad - and he's often wondered whether it would have been simpler to go for extraction. In the end he thinks it's been worth it though - it would have left a huge gap and the dentist told him he doesn't really like to extract unless absolutely necessary.

My MIL had a tooth near the front extracted and replaced with an implant. Looks great but the process took about 2 years and cost an absolute fortune.

Good luck!

I faced the same choice the other year and went for the root canal option, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be and took 2 trips to the dentist, I'm not a fan by any means so know where you're coming from. In theory I could have had an extraction and not missed the tooth as it's not one at the front, however the female dentist who gave me the options, just said that for someone of my age, she'd advise root canal rather than losing the tooth completly.

I've not had anymore problems with it, so it worked out fine for me.

Hey Cat ?,

Funny you should post this as I'm in exactly the same situation at the moment. I broke a heavily filled tooth on Sunday evening just gone (broke it on the crackling from roast pork), so the dentist fitted me in yesterday at 3.00. Basically, he can re-fill it and hope it holds, start RCT with a view to crowning it at some point (mega dosh) or extract it.

While I was there, he asked how another one of my teeth was doing that I had RCT in 3 years ago. It's bad - really bad and I told him so. I paid alot of money for the RCT and never got round to getting a crown for it as I was always having problems with it - it's never really settled and I can still feel the nerve jumping in it, can't really eat on that side etc.

Anyway, long story short, I'll be choosing extraction for this one - no doubt about it.

Good luck lovey - I feel (and am currently feeling!) your pain.

R xx