Strange News Stories

Saturday, December 5th, 2009

Root Canal May Save Your Tooth But Why Not Pull It?

Not everyone likes going to a dentist, in fact is there anyone that does? But unfortunately for all of us, there will come a time when there will be absolutely no choice and we will have to walk into that dentist’s office and probably will be in pain. Even when you can’t afford a dentist, which is probably one of the main reasons that a person avoids the dentist, other than a true phobia, if you’re in enough pain, you won’t even worry about the cost during your time of pain.

Once you find yourself in the dentist’s chair and they have finished the x-rays and examined them, you may find out that the dentist feels that the tooth that is bothering you is in severe trouble and that it might be wise to consider having a root canal done on it. Just the sound of it makes you cringe. Yet, something does need to be done about the tooth before the rest of your teeth are affected as well.

If the tooth is going to be a lot of trouble and the fact that root canals don’t always work, has you probably wondering why not just pull the darn thing? This is a good question and dentists have a variety of different feelings on the subject. But in the end though, the ultimate decision is up to you.

Let’s take a look at some of the things that might happen should you have that tooth pulled. Depending upon where the tooth is located has a lot to do with whether or not it would be wise to pull it.

Should the tooth be located at the back of the mouth and there are no teeth behind it, it would more than likely be a tooth that you really wouldn’t miss all that much. With no teeth behind it there is no chance that the other teeth will shift in any manner, which then would cause uneven spacing. If this is the case, then the answer would probably be, to pull the tooth.

Now depending upon how bad the tooth is and whether or not it is going to be a difficult extraction will influence whether or not you will need an anesthetic or just a local in the mouth. Understand that adding anesthetic is going to increase the bill that you will have to end up paying.

Should the tooth be a tooth that is used quite often and happens to be surrounded by teeth, you will then need to consider the fact that once that tooth is gone, the other teeth around it will eventually try to fill in the empty gap. This then will cause more space between the teeth and the alignment of your top and bottom teeth will now be off kilter. Now, we’re talking about the possibility of replacing the bad tooth with an implant or a partial depending upon how many teeth were extracted. And viola’ we are automatically increasing the bill some more.

So, if you are concerned about the monetary issues of the dental work that you will be facing, and if the dentist is pretty sure that a root canal will help fix your problem, then it might be wise to go with the root canal, since it will in the end be a lot less strain on your wallet.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 5th, 2009 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Root Canal Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

8 Responses to “Root Canal May Save Your Tooth But Why Not Pull It?”

Ellen Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 5:00 am

If the tooth is the last in your mouth it might be a molar and you will need it to chew. Always try to save the tooth. However, one time I had root canal and still had pain afterwards each time I bit down — the tooth had split vertically! That is very unusual and the dentist said he won’t charge for the root canal.

Joyce Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 8:27 am

Although most of what you say is true, there are some inaccuracies. I am a dental assistant, and have had a root canal treatment before. You advised that if it’s a back tooth, you might choose to get it pulled, since there will be no shifting of the teeth. Not entirely true. It’s still very possible for teeth to shift, for the contact in between them to open or crowd. The molars are your primary chewing teeth, so thinking it’s okay to get rid of the back one is not entirely good advice. It depends on how the teeth occlude, because your upper tooth could start to drop down trying to find something to touch. I’d rather have a root canal treatment than an extraction any day. Yes, root canal treatments can fail, but isn’t it better to try to save a tooth than to just pull it?

You can also replace the missing tooth with a bridge, if there has been previous dental work on the tooth in front and behind it. You should, however, get a crown on the tooth that has a root canal treatment done to it, because removing the blood supply causes them to become more brittle, and wouldn’t it be horrible to spend all that money on a root canal treatment only to have to have the tooth pulled anyway due to it breaking beyond repair?

Most offices–mine included–will work with you and help ease the shock of the expense. We’re in the business to save teeth, and make our patients want to come back. But the patient has to take care of their teeth, and home care is a huge part of that. If you do your part, and floss and brush regularly and correctly, you may never need a root canal treatment.

kendall Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 8:39 am

I had the root canal two years ago, now am told it needs to be pulled anyway. I should have saved the money two years ago.

Angel Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 9:02 am

Those are considerations of note. All you have to do is grind your teeth while sleeping and the next thing you know, you either being screwed by your dentist or you need the following: An extraction costs about $300.00. A root canal covered by insurance along with a build up and crown is about $1,650.00 and then there’s the crown which could be as much as $1200.00. An extraction, inplant and crown is about $3,000.00. If it isn’t a back tooth you need to do more than an extraction or your teeth will shift to close the gap.

Tony Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm

This sounds strange but I guess it makes a lot of sense. Having had a couple of root canal jobs done in the past though, it’s not exactly a pleasant experience, especially when the anesthetic begins to wear off or isn’t strong enough.

Anthony Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 3:39 pm

When you have a tooth pulled the bone that was supporting it begins to receed. Bone loss will lead to loosening of the teeth to either side of the empty socket. If it is a jaw tooth your jaw will thin out in the area around the socket. This in turn leads to weakening of the jaw. The amount of time this takes to become a real problem will range anywhere from 10-40 years depending on health, genetics, eating habits, etc.. If you sustain an injury to your jaw in the future it is likely to be more severe potentially shattering on the thin side and fracturing on the other.

If you are 80 years old, go ahead and pull the tooth as long as you do not plan on living past 110. If you are 25 you can look forward to a muck mouth by the time you are 55-65 give or take a few years.

Dentists typically prefer not to pull any more teeth than absolutely necessary until an individual is 45 or older. By that time the bone loss should be of less concern within the lifetime of the patient.

Ron Says:
December 6th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

In my thirty’s I had a lot of teeth problems due to deep fillings I never needed from the Air Force Dentist.And, from grinding my teeth at night.
After thousands of dollars of root canals with no long term success and constant pain. I had them all pulled out. Now I wear dentures with no pain at all.
Dentists are in business, They will always say you need a $800.00 root canal that might work if your tooth and bone structure is not totally infected.

LizardofOz Says:
December 9th, 2009 at 6:34 am

My dad and mom followed this philosophy and were almost toothless in their 80’s and hated bridges and dentures. Where we ate depended on the softness of the food available. Their dentsit was cheap…and they paid by not being able to eat much.

I have had four root canals. A few problems along the way, but the dentists always fixed them, no longer how long it took, without charging extra. I can eat anything.

I had one bottom tooth pulled out by a quack dentist after he damaged the tooth, then informed afterwards that the opposing top one also had to be extracted also or it would cause problems. I quit him really quick.

Want to save money? Dental schools are terrific. Dental work takes more time since every aspect of the work is checked by fully licensed dentists…but the price is cheap.

Don’t trust your dentist? Then get a second opinion. Also find a dentist you can trust…

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