I had perfect teeth my whole life: strong, no cavities. My dentist retired and another one took over. I pointed out a tooth where there was a gap between it and the next tooth, and she looked at it and pronounced it severely decayed. No ex-ray or anything. Being an idiot, I let her drill into my tooth. Her filling increased the gap between my two teeth. It was also slightly too high, meaning that my tooth squidged into my gum every time I ate.
The next dentist I went to tried to replace the filling, but I reacted too sensitively to the drilling. He asked me if I felt air blowing on my gum, and I did, so I said Yes. He then told me that I needed a root canal, even though my tooth didn't hurt at all (but did feel as if it were on an unstable surface due to the squidging).
I went to an endodontist who, when I said my tooth didn't get numb during the drilling, decided that I didn't need whatever tests she was going to perform and that she needed to conduct the root canal right away.
Now, I have a crowned tooth after two procedures I think were unnecessary. And my current dentist is telling me the tooth will not last through another crowning should this one go bad. I'm absolutely terrified. Is it true that a root-canaled tooth can be too whittled down and fragile for re-crowning? If I have to get an implant, how risky and awful will this be? I'm a 45-year old female and have a family history of osteoporosis. I'm in a frenzy thinking of how stupid I was to not do more due diligence, and how much I stand to lose in money, health, and peace of mind.
The next dentist I went to tried to replace the filling, but I reacted too sensitively to the drilling. He asked me if I felt air blowing on my gum, and I did, so I said Yes. He then told me that I needed a root canal, even though my tooth didn't hurt at all (but did feel as if it were on an unstable surface due to the squidging).
I went to an endodontist who, when I said my tooth didn't get numb during the drilling, decided that I didn't need whatever tests she was going to perform and that she needed to conduct the root canal right away.
Now, I have a crowned tooth after two procedures I think were unnecessary. And my current dentist is telling me the tooth will not last through another crowning should this one go bad. I'm absolutely terrified. Is it true that a root-canaled tooth can be too whittled down and fragile for re-crowning? If I have to get an implant, how risky and awful will this be? I'm a 45-year old female and have a family history of osteoporosis. I'm in a frenzy thinking of how stupid I was to not do more due diligence, and how much I stand to lose in money, health, and peace of mind.
