Last year, during a dental clean, over half one of my back molars broke off. The dentist rebuilt it, but six months later the reconstructed part broke off. Now he says I should have a root canal and have it crowned to avoid future problems, as the dentin is exposed.

However, I'm terrified of dental work and wonder if there's another option. I'm not in any pain at all, so what might happen if I don't have a RC and have it capped? Will it inevitably get infected or abscessed? Honestly, if I have to have something done, I'd rather have it extracted, but then the dentist said I would have to have a dental implant, which is a painful procedure I hear.

Please advise.

:)

Huh... well you could have soft teeth. Some people do.. it happens.

If you have nothing done... you will have major problems later (infection is one of them), and have to have the extraction, for sure.

** I would go see another dentist before you do anything! **
Especially since you are not a fan of dental work. I am also not sure about a dentist who does work and it doesn't last. Doesn't sound like I would go back.

You don't want your teeth extracted w/o a dental implant... otherwise over time your teeth will start to spread out.

I know someone who got a dental implant and said it wasn't bad at all.

Thanks. I guess I should stop being a wimp and get it seen to. I was just hoping he could seal it to protect the dentin, rather than go right in and do a root canal when there is no sign of infection or damage to the root.