root canal, extraction or implant

In my experience root canal treatment is often unsuccessful and you end up having an extraction anyway.
Personally, I would just have the back molar removed.
Good luck - toothache is awful.

I agree with Primrose.

I decided on a tooth extraction recently, lower back tooth. I am coping well without it and it was much cheaper.

The one thing I am really pleased I started 14 years ago was teeth whitening.

Difficult decision ! Don't think I would go down the implant route. I have had root canal work done twice, on each occasion I went for the appointment in fear and trembling - my feelings were unfounded . It was no worse than an ordinary filling , just took much longer! Both have been successful. However you may opt for an extraction-that will be much cheaper !!
Good luck .

I’ve had 3 root canals and all have been successful and definitely not as bad as I feared. I would go for the root canal rather than extraction.

I wouldn't want a gap really as it impacts your bite and can cause other issues.

I've had successful root canal treatment as well, not painful at all . Just takes a long time as Shelflife said. Extraction will be cheaper and if it's at the back no implant needed.

I've had many root canals. Some painful, some not at all. Most of them worked, except one tooth that I had three root canals on plus one operation, and it still kept getting infected. I would try the root canal first. Even the painful ones were just moments during the procedure, and probably not worse than the pain you are experiencing now.

truman I notice you said you have a small mouth, as do I so I took that into account with my reply.

A dentist told me that because of my small mouth it was like trying to wallpaper the hall through the letterbox! That still makes me laugh. But seriously, because my mouth is small it is also very painful keeping it open for very long.

I've recently had a root canal, didn't hurt and was very effective. I have a brilliant kind dentist, who I have absolute faith in, if you have the same,be guided by what they advise.

If it’s at the very back I wouldn’t bother.
Root canal didn’t work for me, tooth next to canine. So ended up with a plate which I can’t stand to wear.
Now saving for a dental implant.

I have lived without lower back molars (left) for years and managed very well.

truman I’ve had that dilemma recently as a lower back molar holding a four tooth bridge had an infection beneath it. In the past I’ve had many root canal fillings which have been successful and could have opted for this but declined as my dentist said the root was narrow and hidden so it would be complicated. Instead I’ve opted for extraction and two implants which will hold a bridge. Last year I had three implants in my upper jaw which are fine. Be guided by your dentist. The implant procedure is lengthy but painless apart from the effect on your wallet!

You are all very young or have very strong gums. I was told mine would not be able to take an implant

I have two implants. About 10 years apart. Both excellent.
But I've also had success with root canal work.

I have inherited teeth with very little enamel (from my father). My bone anx gums are good so I suppose that's useful!

What would your dentist do if they were you?

I had a successful expensive visible root canal Dentist advised another one on a cracked molar but as it is out of view I opted for extraction.

I am in the same position OP. I have a back molar with a deep filling which has cracked.
So I will choose an extraction and my bottom jaw will then mirror the other side where I had a badly infected back molar extracted some 10 years ago. I dont want an implant and dont want another big filling.

I also have TMJ disorder on thst side. So keeping my mouth open for a long filling will be very uncomfortable and could trigger my, at the moment, quiet TmJ.

I have a very kind and competent private dentist who is always reluctant to extract, but will do if thats what I want. The extra problem is that I have been on .Alendeonic acid tablets albeit for a very short time and it may be because of that the extraction could have to be in hospital.
I can understand why in the past people had all their teeth extracted and were fittrd with false ones. A bit brutal, but no teeth problems in old age.

I've had three successful root canal's, they've all worked out fine. I'd start with that & if it doesn't work you can still take a next step.

My dentist did a root canal on a much -repaired back molar, preparatory to crowning it. It was painless but also the longest dental treatment I've ever had in my life. It was an complex root.

After the root canal filling had "settled", xray showed it had a small spot of infection at the very top end, and he would not proceed with the crown until the infection resolved. It never did :-( and about a year in the infected site was beginning to feel a bit of intermittent sensitivity in the top of that gum .

So last week I had the whole thing extracted (no pain, but took a while and pretty difficult/stressful. He found an infected cyst right at the far end of it, which drained messily for 24 hours. It left the biggest messiest extraction cavity I've ever had; sent home with instructions for salt water rinses, and two weeks of soft food only. One week in and I'm longing for something chewy. But the cavity has closed well and I can tell there's no trace of tenderness where the infected spot used to be.

Dentists suggestion for next move is an implant; but after this experience of infection I'm not going to risk another failure. .

The other option is to get an additional tooth on my dental plate.For that, he wants to wait 6 months until my jawbone adjusts to the gap.

So, sorry to tell you, not a good experience of root canal and it's put me off ever doing one again. Another time I'd prefer simple extraction of ancient tooth right away.

butterandjam your experience is what put me off having the molar holding a bridge root canal filled although all my other root canal fillings have been successful.
crazyH , I’m 83 and my implantologist carried out various xray procedures to determine if I have enough bone. If not, the bone can be supplemented with synthetic or animal substitute.

Primrose53

In my experience root canal treatment is often unsuccessful and you end up having an extraction anyway.
Personally, I would just have the back molar removed.
Good luck - toothache is awful.

Yes agree! I had a lot of root canal treatment to save one tooth, quite costly an ultimately futile, ended up have an extraction and a subsequent bridge.

I also think that my gums have never been quite the same after all the root canal work I had done, although my dentist assures me they're fine.

An implant is very expensive and, unless it was a front tooth which showed, I wouldn't bother.
Can you not have a crown fitted after the root canal filling! I broke a molar recently and had to make the decision between extraction, huge filling or crown and chose crown because a previous dentist had taken out an adjacent molar without much discussion. This one just shows, too.

Expensive but nowhere near the cost of an implant, unless of course, repeated infections might be a problem.

The problem with implants is they that sometimes the gum is not wide enough to take the implant and you would need grafts over several months beforehand. I had a tooth extracted thinking I’d have an implant but was then told the bone wasn’t wide enough. I couldn’t face the thought of grafts. And the time it takes so I’ve just left it as a gap. Ironically the tooth had a root canal and ordinary filling. I wish I’d explored having a crown fitted.

I'm surprised your dentist gave you the choice. They usually don't condone extractions until all over options have failed. It took me months to persuade my dentist to take a tooth out, after all options hadn't worked.

I wish I hadn’t wasted £300 n odd for the plate & went for the implant straight away.