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I am 55 years old and have a bottom back molar that has a large filling. The tooth has recently cracked and is very sensitive to cold. My dentist suggests a crown, but I have had several crowns and hate to go through the process again and hate to go to the expense. What is the disadvantage to having the tooth pulled? It is the farthest back tooth on the bottom left.
If you have the dental insurance and/or money to invest, save the tooth. You didn't mention the condition of your other teeth and how many are missing. I hate to lose a tooth and will save it if I can.
The downside is that your gums will recede there, chewing may become more difficult for nuts and such like, and the tooth that matches it on top will begin to "travel".
My dentist does sedation and could do something like this in two visits, even with the root canal. Are there any good dentists who use sedation out your way?
It depends if you use that tooth for chewing. Is there a tooth directly above it? If there is and you have the lower tooth removed the upper tooth will start to over-erupt and may also need to be removed in the future. If the tooth that needs the crown is a wisdom tooth, get rid of it and if there is an upper wisdom tooth directly above it, get rid of it too!
I agree with Flossie and the others about saving the tooth to prevent traveling. But, if you have a financial difficulty, I would get the tooth pulled. Crowns can be very expensive. If it were me, and the tooth could not be seen when I smile, I would pull it. It's a lot cheaper to go that route. You just gotta weigh out your pros and cons. What's most important to you?
If money were not a big issue, I'd go with the crown.
Due to a childhood accident in which I had three teeth knocked out....
I had crowns and bridge... for 25 years before the tooth had to come out due to crystalization and absess...then the dentist who tried to do a root canal to save it, broke off the drill bit inside of the root, fractured it beyond saving, and refused to see me again... I had to go see a dental surgeon to remove it... but having those crowns was so much nicer than false teeth!
Not having $ means taking the most affordable option... but again I think it would be worth scrimping in other areas if it doesn't mean losing the house or car... that type of situation...
long term, missing teeth can lead to traveling, as mentioned. i dont think youll miss it for chewing, given where it is... i had two teeth pulled, 2nd and 3rd to back, and it was "empty" for two years until i was able to get the bridge in...
at the time, i was able to compensate fine for the gaps.. now that i have the bridge, im glad i have the space again for eating...
talk to your dentist... how are the rest of your teeth. you mention youve had several crowns... long term what does he/she see your health being? are these probably going to fail too? are there other issues here? given your history, whats the liklihood you are going to need partials?
while i think getting a crown is best when you can, pulling a tooth is a cheap option, even if not best. and i think it can be different if you are 25 versus 55 depending on what the dentist thinks your dental future is going to be.
flossie disagrees: It's a lot more costly to replace teeth that have been removed once you realize how much you miss them.
Flossie,
There are so many people who do not have dental insurance to cover getting a crown. (That may or may not be the case with this particular person.) But when you're in a situation that needs immediate attention, you gotta do what you gotta do. Without insurance, an extraction is much much cheaper than paying for a crown out of pocket. I was only offering options to this person. If it were me and I didn't have the money for a crown and the tooth was not visible when I smile, I would pull it. In the future, I could always get a bridge or implant.
Thank you.
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