Tooth extraction or not? No pain at the moment

[Toothunsure]

I have root canal in my first molar which was done 15 years ago. Dentist says it’s starting to look like it will need redone and there is a chronic infection at the root. Dentist has offered to redo root canal but seems very reluctant thinking it won’t work and probably extraction will be required eventually anyway.

I am in no pain at all so feeling really unsure what to do.

My advice: get the extraction. I was in the same situation but because I had no pain I left it, didn’t chase for the referral to the other clinic who would do the extraction, and finally got it done when a part of the tooth fell out. The extraction was not a pleasant experience by that point: utterly rotten from top to bottom and he had to drill all the way up to the top. It became much more complicated than it should have done.. the dentist and assistant kept saying “well done” to me in the waiting room afterwards so clearly they though I’d been through a bit of an experience!

It has healed nicely but I was very close to having my sinus pierced.

in my opinion better to get the tooth out before you reach that point!

Thanks so much. I really appreciate having your experience. was it a molar tooth?
I went for the consultation with the extraction dentist and he has left it for me to decide what to do and it’s so hard to know. But he said even at this stage it might not be that straightforward and tooth would probably crack and gum would need to be cut and stitched

How are you getting on with having a gap? Or did you get an implant ?

Just get it out.
Not the same at all but I kept putting off having my wisdom tooth out. It kept getting infected, I kept saying no to having it out. It’s caused so much damage to my mouth, jaw and ear.
I finally had it out about a month ago. No idea why I just didn’t do it years ago!!!

If infection is present you don't want it getting into the bone. Deal with it now before your problems get much worse. If you were told you had infection in another part of your body, wouldn't you deal with it pre-emptively? Even if it wasn't yet causing you pain?

I recently had this and would advise getting it sorted before it gets painful.

Had a root canal done decades ago and it gave no problems.
A few years ago the crown came off so my dentist (who is wonderful by the way) did some work and refixed it but warned that infection was a possibility at some time in the future.
Roll forward to this year and it was niggling a bit, I suspected an infection so I made a (non-urgent) appointment to have it looked at. Before the appointment however it flared up and I was in raging pain plus the whole side of my face swelled up. Ended up on three different types of antibiotics but even that didn't make the infection go away completely and when the tooth was eventually pulled (with no pain whatsoever) the dentist was surprised at the amount of infection still present.
Healed nicely and will consider whether to get a bridge or other alternative.

Don't delay, get a treatment plan in place now!

I would always say follow the advice and get it taken out. I ignored dental advice to have a wisdom tooth removed because I knew it was going to be a hospital job and would be very unpleasant. And it wasn't causing me any issues at that time.

Fast forward a year or so and the wisdom tooth and tooth next to it became so infected that they both had to come out and I had to pay to get it done privately as the NHS waiting lists were so long. Honestly one minute it was fine and in under a week the pain was so unbearable I couldn't eat, sleep or go to work.

Had I listened, I probably could have had it done for free and avoided all that pain and expense. Don't think that just because it isn't causing you problems now then it won't happen ever. And when it does it can be sudden and brutal.

Thank you for the replies. I was all ready for the extraction on the dentist advice but the oral surgeon who did the consultation seemed a bit less sure if it was necessary. Or maybe he was just trying to make sure I understood the options at this stage

Do not wait, get it removed while there is no pain. Seriously.

My extraction was only 8 weeks ago so I haven’t done anything with it yet. The gap is not bothering me at all and am tempted to just leave it like that (another mistake??!)

It was my second premolar.

The dentist seems to be of the opinion that it will be fine to leave it as it is with the gap there. I hope there isn’t a push after the extraction for getting an implant as I don’t really want to bother with one.

I think once a root canal has failed it's time to get it pulled. It's done a pretty decent stretch.

My wisdom tooth is growing in wonky and is pushing a perfectly healthy tooth over exposing the painful shit. So have to get it out so the wisdom tooth has room to grow how it wants. If I leave it I'll be wanting to saw my head off in no time.

Problem with dental stuff, it can get into the bones in your face. It's not worth it.

I had my top right two molars extracted. Like PP I put it off for well over 6 months and then once they were out I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner. I was basically just scared of the unknown and that I wouldn't be able to chew with my back teeth anymore! I also thought I was a failure to lose my teeth in my 40s! I've had NO problems and it's helped to resolve my gum disease as there are now no pockets. I've not had implants and no intention of getting them. (I'm not sure my gums/bone loss are strong enough to support them anyway).

Hmm, I've just had a 12 year old root canal refilled - the stench was foul so there was serious infection! And they've done a great job of it and dentist says it's looking solid enough for my orthodontic braces. Was a front tooth though. I thought dentists were keen on preserving your own teeth wherever possible, especially if you are not old?

A chronic infection will eventually eat away at your jaw bone (whether you feel pain or not). You do not want that to happen😬