I’ve never been great with the dentist. I had a root canal treatment done some time ago, that never received its crown. They never scheduled a follow-up appointment and I didn’t fancy reminding them. That was probably a coward’s way out and a mistake because eventually, the tooth started crumbling and then developed an infection. I was in enough pain to go back to the dentist and he thinks the tooth needs to be extracted at this point. I wasn’t an easy patient at this appointment and he thinks I may need to see an oral surgeon because he thinks the appointment will be too hard for me. I priced that and it is way more than I can afford. Is there another option or will I need to take out a loan for this?
Kelly
Dear Kelly,
The first thing I would do is ask the dentist if there was anything unusual about this extraction. For instance, are the roots twisted or knobbed at the end? That might require more expertise for the extraction than your dentist has and he’s steering you in the direction of an oral surgeon rather than say he is in over his head. That will be important to know.
If everything is normal, any dentist should be able to do the extraction. In that case, I would recommend you just find a dentist who offers dental sedation. This will allow you to get it done at a fraction of the cost of an oral surgeon. If you are worried about pain, it relaxes you enough that you can sleep through the procedure if you want to. It is completely safe and you will have a pain-free appointment.
In fact, I have found that patients with dental anxiety have their life changed as a result of seeing a sedation dentist.
If the tooth extraction is complicated, such as with twisted roots, that doesn’t mean you will have to see an oral surgeon. You will just need to find a sedation dentist who is confident in those types of extractions. They do exist.
You Will Need to Replace Your Tooth
When a tooth is extracted, it needs to be replaced. Otherwise, when that space is left empty, the other teeth will shift and tip into the empty space. This throws of your bite and can even lead to painful TMJ problems.
I’m going to recommend you replace the tooth with a dental implant. It is the closest thing to having a healthy natural tooth again.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.