To finally remove molar or battle on?

[JohnPrescottsPyjamas]

I’ve generally had pretty good teeth, however earlier this year a large part of the inside half of my Molar 3 came away. My dentist explained that where the tooth was filled many years, only a thin wall was left which has collapsed. When the chunk of filling and tooth came away, it’s left only a very small remainder of molar.

Because there’s apparently not enough tooth remaining to crown it, the dentist attached some resin dental bond to fill the gap and mould a sort of replacement. This lasted about 6 months, so she’s put a temporary filler until a longer appointment is available, when she is planning on putting some pins in the ‘stump’ to give a more permanent base to rebuild again with filler.

I’m actually wondering if it’s really worth saving this tooth. Because it’s fairly far back in my mouth, it’s not obvious unless I do a huge cheesy grin. Plus, I feel I’ll always be wary of chewing on that side now. The tooth has always been very, very tight against its neighbours, so tight that I’ve always struggled to even get floss between them so that probably hasn’t helped and allowed decay to get in there.

WWYD in my situation, should I at least try what the dentist is planning or just go for an extraction?

Well you could have it extracted. My dentist said sometimes if the other teeth moved that could cause a problem. I've not had one right at the back replaced and had no issues

This happened to one of my molars last year although I think it was the front that came away. My dentist (NHS) put a temporary filling on and said there was not enough tooth left for a crown. But I went to my other dentist (private) for a clean and the hygienist said she thought it was worth seeing their dentist. I did and it turned out there was just enough tooth left and I now have a nice crown. If it is an option cost wise for you, maybe seeing a different dentist to see what they say is an option.

Many thanks for your replies. Ideally, I would prefer a crown over all the options, so maybe a second opinion might be the way to go.

Just to add - I chew on my crown without even thinking about it. And actually, on the other side I do have a molar missing - I had it out years ago and have no issues with having a gap there. I would imagine if you had the pins work done you would feel dubious about chewing on there - but if you had the tooth out, you would probably chew on the other side anyway.