WWYD - crown or extraction?

[PurpleSparkles82]

After some opinions / experience please.
One of my lower back molars has a large inlay filling. It was done back in 2017 by my previous dentist. It’s never felt right and the tooth has always felt ‘weak’ since I had it done. As such I don’t dare eat on that side of my mouth.
I know I really should have gone back and told them it wasn’t right but I lost faith in that particular dentist and found having that procedure done absolutely horrible.
Fast forward to being with a private dentist now. They’ve said in order to have it corrected, they’d need to do a crown.
I’m changing careers soon which involves a long training course followed by lots of travel so want to get it sorted in the next few weeks before I start.

What do I do?

Crown - cost in the region of £700. Dentist said there is always a risk it may not take / pain / infection which may lead to a root canal being done. Crown will last approximately 10 years. (Dentist said she’d prefer to do a crown over an extraction.)

Or do I go for an extraction? It’s second from the back so can’t see it when I smile / speak. I’m so worried that the tooth already feels weak to the point where I don’t eat on it. Is it best just to get rid? Never had dry socket but I’ve read about it on here and that’s also something that makes me nervous.

If you’ve read this far, thank you, HNY and what would you do?

I have 2 crowns and two extractions (4 teeth in total). . Have a deep seated fear of root canal. But never looked back after the extractions. The crowns have been ok though.

Not particularly helpful!

Crown, definitely. Don't be talked into an extraction unless the tooth is unsalvageable. It's not worth it for the bone loss and movement down the line.

I just had a crown done over a live tooth. No root canal needed. It was sensitive during the procedure but absolutely fine once I left the chair.

@Lifestooshort71 why the root canal out of interest?
I have a fear of it 🙁

I’d try for the crown first. A gap can cause your teeth to move and you could in fact end up with a gap anywhere.

My dentist explained that to prolong the life of your crown and keep any infection at bay, the nerve beneath the tooth needed to be killed off. The whole area will be numbed beforehand so you really won't feel a thing. Discuss it all with dentist beforehand so you know exactly what will be happening x

Crown! Mine is atleast 17 years going strong! I had it as a result of a root canal, so tbh if one of the worst things to happen is a root canal, it’s not really that bad… I was so young when I had it so can’t remember the after care length, but having my wisdom tooth extracted was faaaarrrrr farrrrrrrr worse after!

I’ve had an upper tooth, second from the back removed. It was a couple of years ago and I haven’t had any problems. It was next to a wisdom tooth that was twisted due to lack of room. Now the wisdom tooth has moved so it is no longer twisted but facing the correct way and has moved partially into the gap. A crown wasn’t an option for me though.

That's kind of why I would advocate a crown. Accepting an extraction takes you half way towards that scenario, whereas a crown keeps you two steps away from it.

It's not always possible to save a tooth, so there may be no choice next time and its not possible to go back in time and re-play this scenario where not only does an exists but its available for around £300. An implant, which maybe the only option next time, apparently starts around £2,400.

It might sound overly cautious to some, but there's good logic behind acting early for problems that emerge slowly. Our brains are hardwired for intimidate dangers, like fire, and calculate badly or procrastinate on problems that progress slowly "I'll do it later etc"

I had a tooth, a bottom six year molar, that never grew properly and was damaged by medicines. I had increasingly large fillings in it from the age of fifteen onwards. Eventually, the day arrived that the tooth broke in half. I was worried that it would need an extraction as it was in a fairly visible place, but my dentist was able to save it with a crown and l didn't need a root canal filling, thank goodness. This was fourteen years ago and everything is still as it should be with the bonus that the porcelain crown looks far better than the previously heavily filled tooth. I would go for the crown in your position.

I've been in similar situations, and every dentist's advice has been to keep the tooth. Removing a tooth means other teeth will move and the bone density in your jaw will eventually reduce, potentially causing you problems further down the line.

I have had three root canal treatments and one crown. None have ever given me any problems, and the first was nearly 30y ago.

BTW I'm a nervous patient and the treatments were all tolerable.

@PurpleSparkles82 only took a few days I would say. Was so relieved it was out! I've never had any problems - with it being so near the back, it's not an issue. It's been about 20 years since I had it out!

I had a crown placed almost three years ago now. I hate it, I've been back to the dentist several times to complain about it. It hurts when I press on it, when I brush my teeth, when I eat. I can feel it's presence in my mouth all the fecking time. I'd still rather have that than an extraction though!