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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Remove a tooth or try root canal treatment?

    Related Topics
    Dentistry Oral Health
    Recently I had tooth pain, lower left hand side which my dentist advises it is dying - has had filling in the cavity and oversized filling on top. He suggests pulling it out rather than root canal treatment - considers may not be successful in long term and perhaps a waste of money.

    This means I will have two gaps in my lower teeth as I have a missing tooth on the bottom right hand side and he suggests I have a dental implant here on the right hand side to assist in chewing etc. Hence my options are; leave alone and see how it goes, root canal, or pull out then an implant. I was thinking of getting a second opinion. Any thoughts?
    • 1 answer
    • Dr Roland Chong
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    Dr Roland Chong

    Dentist

    The question you ask is a difficult one to answer without seeing the case. But if you are concerned then a second opinion won't hurt.

    The most important question which needs to be answered is how much tooth structure is left of the original tooth.

    If there is insufficient tooth structure and it cannot be restored to function reliably then the tooth should be extracted. In the instance when there is not enough tooth structure present, doing too much to the tooth will lead to medium term failure. Only a dentist will be able to inform you of this after they have removed the restoration and any decay in the tooth. The amount of healthy tooth structure remaining will determine the outcome.

    The other consideration is also your medical condition, age, and if you are a smoker with any gum disease. Risk of implant failure increases with certain lifestyle choices like smoking. Also the younger you are and, if there is enough tooth structure to restore then the consideration should be to save the tooth.

    An implant prosthesis is an ‘end of the road option’. Nothing is 100% fail proof in dentistry so to keep your options open save the tooth if it can be done so reliably.

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