sb
Loc: Florida's East Coast
Fly to Costa Rica, get some really nice photos, get the dental work for $400, and have a great time!
Go for the lens....the enjoyment that you well get from the lens well ease the pain of the tooth...
Go for the removal and an implant, Jerry. You will never regret it. And, at your age, you probably have at least another 20 years!
soli
Loc: London, UK.
I thought our dentists were rip offs but yours sound like on a different planet. No wonder they all swan around in their Lexus
5 wheel drives.
Robert R wrote:
Jerry, If your tooth is not cracked, root canal therapy should be successful. Be aware that you may need a crown on the tooth after the treatment. Best of luck.
I also believe that after having a root canal the dentist always states a crown must be put on the tooth, Why is a crown is required, 100% of the time?
It seems to me that Jerry will have to bear the cost of the root canal (if he decides on that option), AND the cost of the crown and together they are quite expensive.
To my understanding, the root canal procedure involves drilling a normal sized hole thru the tooth down to the root. After the 'oral surgeon' removes the root. They just fill the hole with a temporary filling until the regular dentist can add a crown. Why won't a regular filling be good enough?
Will a catastrophe occur if a crown is not added?
Army gave me an upper plate in 1960 because the Army Major said "your teeth are too soft and it would cost the military too much to keep repairing them" Pulled all the teeth out over two days while I was in basic training. Never had a problem with the plate.
Now I'm 74 and had 8 teeth left on bottom, 1 molar and 7 front teeth. Dentist pulled the molar when it started hurting and then had no grinding teeth to eat.
Dentist pulled remaining 7, immediately put in a plate. Not bad but had some adjustments to make because of rubbing. Then he drilled holes in my jaw bone and put in 4 titanium screws for full bottom plate implants.
Now I just snap in the implant and eat anything, steak, candy, corn on the cob, you name it.
Make your choice to make yourself happy.
Sarge69
Indi
Loc: L. I., NY, Palm Beach Cty when it's cold.
Robert R wrote:
Jerry, If your tooth is not cracked, root canal therapy should be successful. Be aware that you may need a crown on the tooth after the treatment. Best of luck.
Might I add that if you don't want the gap between the teeth you can always get a bridge. Might be cheaper to get that before putting a crown on and doing it later.
Of course you might have to sell a few of your lenses.
TriX
Loc: Raleigh, NC
sarge69 wrote:
Army gave me an upper plate in 1960 because the Army Major said "your teeth are too soft and it would cost the military too much to keep repairing them" Pulled all the teeth out over two days while I was in basic training. Never had a problem with the plate.
Now I'm 74 and had 8 teeth left on bottom, 1 molar and 7 front teeth. Dentist pulled the molar when it started hurting and then had no grinding teeth to eat.
Dentist pulled remaining 7, immediately put in a plate. Not bad but had some adjustments to make because of rubbing. Then he drilled holes in my jaw bone and put in 4 titanium screws for full bottom plate implants.
Now I just snap in the implant and eat anything, steak, candy, corn on the cob, you name it.
Make your choice to make yourself happy.
Sarge69
Army gave me an upper plate in 1960 because the Ar... (
show quote)
Ah, Army dentists. I had a very young one extract a wisdom tooth. Lifted me out of the chair by the tooth and broke it into many pieces. The next day my jaw was so swollen I couldn't open my mouth (for 2 months). Since I was an instructor and couldn't talk, the Army sent me home for 2 months taking Darvon for pain and drinking Metracal through a straw - lost about 30 lbs. When I got discharged years later, a civilian dentist removed the other 3 wisdom teeth at one time. Back to work the same day, no swelling and little pain. I'm sure there are good Army dentists, but this wasn't one.
buckbrush wrote:
I also believe that after having a root canal the dentist always states a crown must be put on the tooth, Why is a crown is required, 100% of the time?
It seems to me that Jerry will have to bear the cost of the root canal (if he decides on that option), AND the cost of the crown and together they are quite expensive.
To my understanding, the root canal procedure involves drilling a normal sized hole thru the tooth down to the root. After the 'oral surgeon' removes the root. They just fill the hole with a temporary filling until the regular dentist can add a crown. Why won't a regular filling be good enough?
Will a catastrophe occur if a crown is not added?
I also believe that after having a root canal the ... (
show quote)
Root canal therapy leaves a non-vital tooth which may become more brittle, and more of a chance to fracture. Nothing is worse that having the root canal therapy, then having the tooth crack, requiring extraction. A full crown will strengthen the tooth and hopefully prevent a fracture.
Save the tooth!
Save the tooth!
I've seen someone suffer with much pain from wearing dentures every day since pulling all his teeth.
Save the tooth.
Had similar dilemma which spouse solved with one word, Purée.
soli wrote:
I thought our dentists were rip offs but yours sound like on a different planet. No wonder they all swan around in their Lexus
5 wheel drives.
It has been my experience that not all dentists "swan around in their Lexus...". I just returned from my 50th. year reunion of graduating from the dental school at Ohio State. During a luncheon the dean of the dental college talked to our group. In answering a question, he told us that one years tuition at Ohio State dental school, a state supported school, is $47,000, each year for 4 years for a resident of Ohio. Out of state tuition is $82000 yearly. That does not include personal expenses like transportation, rent, eating, etc. He said that of last years graduating class, 9% graduated debt free, mostly with family support, and the average indebtedness was around $200-250,000 per student, or more. Add to that the cost of rent, opening an office, with all the digital bells and whistles that seem to be required today, possibly add another $200,000. Then hire a staff who expect to be paid well, with benefits, and you get an idea why dental fees are high. When my father started dental practice in 1939, he charged $1.00 for an extraction and $2.00 for a filling, and paid $25 rent for a second floor office over a hardware store. My, how times have changed.
Calsnap
Loc: Seattle/Montana/San Diego
I've met a lot of people from all over the US in the waiting room of my dentist in Algodones Mexico. You can get the root canal and crown for $700 have a vacation and still have money left.
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.