Dental

[luckynumbah7]

I've had an abcess in my front tooth for several years, didn't have the funds for a root canal. Now we're getting funds in June, with luck. But the abcess probably killed the bone, so.

My question is, which treatment is likely to last longer? The metal post with an attached crown, the root canal with a crown or a bridge?

 

[nycguydowntown]

Pull it out and get an implant. I'm not a dentist but that is just my opinion. A root canal won't last as long as an implant---but you should get a few opinions.

 

[Benvolio]

Trust you dentist's opinion. I have had one root canal with a crown for 20 years or so, and it is easier and cheaper than an implant.

 

[Orlandude]

A good dentist will tell you the best course of treatment for your particular case. Keep in mind that implants are extremely expensive if you are even a candidate for implants. . There are less expensive, reliable options.

 

[luckynumbah7]

Thanks for the personal experiences, and I plan on getting at least two differing dentists' opinions via xray. However, they all have their pocketbook in mind first and charge what the market will bear, not what their expertise is actually worth. There's also the old adage "What do you call a medical professional who graduated at the bottom of their class?" "Doctor". And I've never met one of them who advertizes their college transcripts.

S'why I asked about bridges and implants verse root canal. Also that I've had the need for a root canal for four or so years so I highly doubt the tooth itself can be saved. I'm just leery of doing a root canal if it's going to need to be redone in a year or three from a reoccurring abscess.

@Orlandude,

A root canal + a crown + same tooth that has to be redone because of recurring abscess ends up being the same price. Actually, the implant ends up being a bit cheaper, according to Google and my area.

 

[Benvolio]

If you don't trust your dentist, I think you should change dentists. Most are more honest and conscientious than you think.

 

[otters]

I've had an abcess in my front tooth for several years, didn't have the funds for a root canal. Now we're getting funds in June, with luck. But the abcess probably killed the bone, so.

My question is, which treatment is likely to last longer? The metal post with an attached crown, the root canal with a crown or a bridge?

You mean the jawbone? If there's the jawbone damaged, then any treatment with a nice cosmetical result — especially an implant — will be quite a task.

Honestly, if it weren't a front tooth, I'd say a gold crown (without porcelain "jacket") is quite a good and sturdy (and usually less expensive) alternative.

 

[luckynumbah7]

If you don't trust your dentist, I think you should change dentists. Most are more honest and conscientious than you think.

Ha. I have changed dentists. I've been to 6 dentists - one was as a child, 2 absolutely sucked, 1 was mediocre and 2 were decent. None of them were excellent. Unfortunately the mediocre and sucked are what I fell in with when moving to Philly.

Hell, one of the Sucked ones gave me the need to get a root canal in the first place. Fucking moron apparently used a inappropriately unclean needle the second time she put in a filling of hers that fell the fuck out of the tooth next to it. If someone thinks I'm stupid enough to not try and find a dentist when they turn out to be that incompetent, telling me that you think I need to find a new one would make less of a change than the acquired abscess.

They're exactly as honest and consenctious as I've experienced. Which is, about the same as the rest of humanity.

@Otters,

Eh, I was hoping that bone filler would work well.

 

[Benvolio]

You will be referred to a dental surgeon for the root canal or implant. I suggest that you ask his advice which procedure would be better.

 

[luckynumbah7]

You will be referred to a dental surgeon for the root canal or implant. I suggest that you ask his advice which procedure would be better.

I'm doing that too. The thing is, I also want to know which is likely to last longer statistic-wise, which was answered by a few examples here. I think I've discarded the bridge, one way or another.

I actually have two appointments already - one at a dental college for a first meeting and one referral to an endodontist for a root canal. I intend to compare their answers, as dentists are also trained for root canals, they just rarely do the more difficult back-tooth ones. Which is fine, since mine is a front tooth anyway. I want to know what they recommend and why, compare it to which is likely to last when taking into account my poor mouth, and go from there.

*Bluntly, it would be easier and a hell of a lot more honest if they'd just list their transcripts in the waiting room.

I used to have excellent teeth, minus the wisdom teeth impaction which was (mostly) taken care of a decade ago. And then I moved to philly and needed the last impacted molar pulled (Inside was hollow, I've actually got one left that's leaving shortly, the decent dentist thought the two left could last, turned out to be very wrong on that score). But yes, excellent teeth and Philly dentists fucked them up. Still extremely unhappy with every dentist I've seen in Philadelphia so far and trying to google their patient experiences doesn't do much, if anything.

 

[RaKroma]

My dad with 35 years in dentistry has a simple philosophy: nothing is better than your own organic teeth in your mouth. Some dentists will have other opinions when it comes to trying to save a more damaged tooth vs. pulling it out and giving you a fake tooth.

You are asking for a difficult answer. There are no clear statistics on what will last longer because every case is personal, degrees of decay and gum health is difficult to match consistently in large studies and 2 patients with similar cases respond differently as our bodies are unique. If a root canal with a post is possible to save the tooth then get it over an implant. Only a trained opinion with x ray can give you better advice. Seek 2 opinions and make a decision. But you should not have allowed your tooth to continue decaying as that ALWAYS results in more costly and complicated fixes. Good Luck