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

By: LizardofOz

LizardofOz — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:34:56 +0000

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…

By: Ron

Ron — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:09:58 +0000

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.

By: Dental asst

Dental asst — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 11:25:54 +0000

Understand that adding anesthetic is going to increase the bill that you will have to end up paying…. THAT IS A FALSE STAEMENT THAT SHOULD NOT BE SAID.. I’VE WORKED IN PLENTY OF DENTAL OFFICES AND NO WHERE HAVE I HEARD OF A PATIENT PAYING FOR ANESTHETIC
. YOU ARE MAKING THE PATIENT WHO READS THIS EVEN MORE FEARFUL.NORMAL ANESTHETIC IS NOT EXTRA MONEY…DO YOU SEE A CODE FOR THAT IN INSURANCE COMPANIES???

By: Anthony

Anthony — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:39:43 +0000

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.

By: Tony

Tony — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:52:21 +0000

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.

By: Angel

Angel — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:02:53 +0000

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.

By: kendall

kendall — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:39:44 +0000

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.

By: Joyce

Joyce — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:27:21 +0000

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.

By: Ellen

Ellen — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:32 +0000

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.