Root canal on 2nd molar/wisdom tooth

youcancallmeal

I've been in misery all week with an abscess in a second molar on my lower right side(LR7). I think it's my wisdom tooth as there is no tooth under the gum beyond that I think? Anyway antibiotics have kicked in since Monday to reduce the pain and I'm due to see dentist again today. They said it's either extraction or root canal but the RC has low chance of success due to roots being quite short. I'm going to go for the RC unless the dentist thinks it'll be a waste of time/money but just wondering what kind of outcomes have people seen from RC in a tooth like this? I have a root canal and crown done in my LL6 done 12 years ago and was told at the time I'd get anything from 5-10 years out of it but it's still going strong.

is_that_so

Wisdom teeth, once they give any trouble, tend to get pulled in my experience.

youcancallmeal

is_that_so wrote: »

Wisdom teeth, once they give any trouble, tend to get pulled in my experience.

With extraction I'm worried that chewing on my right side will be tough(no pun intended) because there is the upper tooth with nothing to bite against at the back

Nozebleed

youcancallmeal wrote: »

With extraction I'm worried that chewing on my right side will be tough(no pun intended) because there is the upper tooth with nothing to bite against at the back

have it removed..its the best thing in the long run. i wouldnt worry about the gap left behind. ive had 2 molars removed on the lower right side and 2 on the left. chewing a problem.

is_that_so

youcancallmeal wrote: »

With extraction I'm worried that chewing on my right side will be tough(no pun intended) because there is the upper tooth with nothing to bite against at the back

I've never found that an issue. I think you adjust your eating pattern and use other teeth more forward. Sure it's delicate for a bit but otherwise no issues.

Fitz II

The second molar (7 tooth) is not a wisdom tooth thats the third molar or the 8. An important tooth you should save if you can.

youcancallmeal

I had an extraction in the end. I spoke for a long time with the dentist and what they said convinced me that the money spent on a root canal with poor chance of success would be better spent towards an implant which I've been referred for. I have dental insurance through work so it should cover a good bit of it thankfully.

2012paddy2012

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I had an extraction in the end. I spoke for a long time with the dentist and what they said convinced me that the money spent on a root canal with poor chance of success would be better spent towards an implant which I've been referred for. I have dental insurance through work so it should cover a good bit of it thankfully.

Sorry for hopping in here - in a similar situation I wonder can you give approx price for that implant please

youcancallmeal

2012paddy2012 wrote: »

Sorry for hopping in here - in a similar situation I wonder can you give approx price for that implant please

I haven't seen the consultant yet but the figure of 3k was mentioned by my dentist. I'm not sure if that includes the cost of a the crown, probably not I'm guessing

fryup

3k for one implant??

youcancallmeal

fryup wrote: »

3k for one implant??

That was the figure the dentist threw out. I'm seeing specialist on Thursday so will get an exact quote then. I did email the secretary and asked about pricing a few weeks ago and got this response

"Implants start at €1350.00, 90% of people having an implant will need some type of bone grafting and that can start at €500-€1200 depending on the amount/type of grafting needed."

So no mention of a crown which I'm guessing could add at least €600 more so total figure of 3k might not be too far off.

I'm not sure I'll even go ahead with an implant but the initial examination and xrays are covered under my dental insurance so I said why not. I'm over 4 weeks since the extraction, the site had healed nicely and I'm not missing that tooth as much as I thought I would. Can still chew fine on that side, maybe even better than before as the tooth had been sensitive and painful for over a year before the extraction

fryup

had a back molar taken out yesterday but unfortunately it broke on extraction...so have to go back later this week to get the roots taken out....for 4 hours after leaving i was in total agony even after taking painkillers, dreading going back

youcancallmeal

fryup wrote: »

had a back molar taken out yesterday but unfortunately it broke on extraction...so have to go back later this week to get the roots taken out....for 4 hours after leaving i was in total agony even after taking painkillers, dreading going back

If it's anything like my experience it'll be a distant memory in a couple of weeks. It's remarkable how quickly mine has healed

fryup

i hope so, soft foods for a week i suppose?

youcancallmeal

Yeah soft foods for a week and watch out for dry socket especially in the first few days. I'm sure dentist will tell you all about aftercare. Had my appointment today with specialist and I won't be getting an implant due to the somewhat unusual shape of my teeth, basically my UR7 tooth is pointed inwards so implant at LR7 would have minimal effect. I have good chewing function on that side post extraction so should be grand going forward. Happy enough with that, he was upfront and honest about it. I have a feeling if I went foreign for implant treatment they probably would of just done it regardless.