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HotRodFoto
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join:2003-04-19
Denver, CO

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Re: How long does it take an exposed tooth nerve to die?

Call your local hospital. preferable the biggest one close by. Many have dental clinics that cost next to nothing, that are used to train dentists. I have been to the one here a few times to have dental work done...they are a Godsend is all I can say

keyboard5684
Sam
join:2001-08-01
Pittsburgh, PA

keyboard5684 to Logan 5

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I was at the dentist today!

It is very ironic to see this post.

I had the same problem and really could not afford it.
I put it off for several months because it did not really hurt.
Christmas, all the other expenses...

Well, now it hurts like you would never believe.
It hurt so bad I called 2 days ago and was in today.
He told me that if I had gone it when it happened, they could have saved the tooth.

Now I am on antibiotics, pain killers that do not kill, and looking at either pulling the tooth or a root canal...
I am still thinking which one (it is the 2nd from the back on the bottom).

So here are my options now, and now sure what to do:
1. I pay for a root canal.
The local places all cost the same and all had about the same kind of payment plans. $750 and they would break it up over 3 months.

2. I pay to have the tooth removed.
This is about $200 and a no brainer.
I just worry about not having a tooth there?
No one would see it, and I could always get an artificial implant maybe when I can afford it.

ThirdShifter
Premium Member
join:2002-03-16
Wethersfield, CT

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ThirdShifter

Premium Member

said by keyboard5684:

I just worry about not having a tooth there?
No one would see it, and I could always get an artificial implant maybe when I can afford it.
I would strongly advise you to not pull your teeth if other methods can be used. Once you remove it, other teethes will start to slowly move and get loose, and before you know it, you'll be wearing dentures in 5-10 years.

keyboard5684
Sam
join:2001-08-01
Pittsburgh, PA

keyboard5684

Member

Thanks...
I was really wondering what the right thing to do is.
I have options but they are so freakin expensive.

At this point their is no way to put it off.
I have to do it within a week or so as I can barely eat now!
To the OP: I wish I did not put it off!

There seems to be so much on the internet about how root canals are bad and that the tooth should just be pulled.

Considering mine is number 30 tooth that is the problem, I still have one more tooth behind it.
mocycler
Premium Member
join:2001-01-22

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Re: How long does it take an exposed tooth nerve to die?

I'm no dentist but I agree with the others: The nerve won't "just die" and that will be the end of it until you get around to having it properly fixed. Left untreated it will only get worse. Teeth don't simply heal on their own like a cut or scrape.

If finances are an issue, at least consult with a dentist and explain your situation. Times are tough for dentists too and they may be flexible with payment options just to get your business. At they very least, they can prescribe some medication or other steps you can take to buy yourself some time.

Good luck!

mocycler
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

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Re: I was at the dentist today!

said by keyboard5684:

There seems to be so much on the internet about how root canals are bad and that the tooth should just be pulled.
Root canals are preferable. Pulling a tooth is the last resort.

Of course, you haven't been to the dentist, so maybe there's no need for either.

runnoft
Premium Member
join:2003-10-14
Nags Head, NC

runnoft

Premium Member

said by Bobcat79:

said by keyboard5684:

There seems to be so much on the internet about how root canals are bad and that the tooth should just be pulled.
Root canals are preferable. Pulling a tooth is the last resort.

Right. Dentists hate to pull/lose teeth. Problems and patient expenses can grow bigtime from there. A root canal is preferable. Not sure where the poster suggesting otherwise is coming from. Root canals are not painful (since you're under local anesthesia), though the scraping sound of them reverberating through your facial bones can be a bit disconcerting, but please DON'T let that put you off, OP. You can do this.
patcat88
join:2002-04-05
Jamaica, NY

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Re: How long does it take an exposed tooth nerve to die?

said by koma3504:

Go to the liguer store and get a big bottle of rumplemintz.

take a big swig and soak it on the tooth a long a you can it will burn. but it will provide ome relief. after then burn weres off repeat. it might take up to a week to kill the nerve. this will be temporary first hint of it returning repeat above.

Maybee not the prefered method but it should work till you can get the insurance.
3 words, silver nitrate stick, but nothing beats professional advice, disclaimer: I'm not a doctor

Logan 5
What a long strange trip its been
Premium Member
join:2001-05-25
San Francisco, CA

Logan 5

Premium Member

WOW!! I wasn't expecting the variety and amount of quality responses to my question..

Yes, i know I *need* to go to a dentist sooner rather then later but (so far) the pain/throbbing has been intermittent and controllable with motrin.

I don't have any blood or bleeding gums but I do notice some upper respiratory phlegm which I am attributing to my tooth... no fever or swelling in my mouth or jaw, in other words I'm pretty ok which is why I think I may be able to wait my insurance out..

I like the idea of soaking the nerve in alcohol or using a silver nitrate stick on the nerve.... thanks for that.

Dentists are expensive and even the student dental campus in my town would charge upwards of $250-$300 for someone w/o insurance to pull the tooth and I don't really think I want to trust a student to do a competent root canal... I've seen those picks they jab in the hole in the tooth and spin around to wind the nerve around it like spaghetti.... yeouch!

Keep the ideas coming, and again I DO appreciate everyone who took the time out of their busy lives to reply to my thread..

Packeteers
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join:2005-06-18
Forest Hills, NY
Asus RT-AC3100
(Software) Asuswrt-Merlin

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a root canal is basically glorified plumbing work,
and besides, the students are well supervised.

here's a trick I learned from NYC Dental School.

each student has to perform every unique task
at least twice, so if you get a student that has
not done a live patient yet, you get it done free
since they need you to be a student's guinea pig.

rawgerz
The hell was that?
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join:2004-10-03
Grove City, PA

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I'd say if it broke off above the gum line then you need to have something done, impossible to keep that clean. If it's below or at, a fluoride rinse 3 times a day should get the pulp hardened and you'd probably be fine after a few weeks at least. I really don't think nerves die, unless the nerve became infected then you won't be able to chew even.
Mele20
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join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

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Root canals should be done by a specialist in that area called an endodontist. If you have a regular dentist do it, you have a large risk of having to have it done again in a year or so. General dentists are not skilled in this type of work. I let a regular dentist do a root canal once and two years later, I had to fly to Honolulu to have an endodontist do it correctly. The regular dentist had not gotten down to the bottom of the root and had missed a bit of infection. I had no insurance either time.

I now have to have that SAME tooth (lower left molar next to last one) worked on (not for another root canal though) as I have a cavity that is partially under the outer side of the tooth and the dentist cannot reach it without removing the crown which will destroy the crown. The cost for a porcelain crown with metal interior is $895 and for a fully porcelain crown it is $980. The fully porcelain one is far better as it is made right while I am there! Only one visit...no impressions, no three weeks of wearing a temporary crown (I had one come off on a weekend and I was in agony until Monday when the dentist put it back on). In Hawaii, old fashioned crowns are made in labs on the Mainland which means three weeks, rather than the usual one of wearing a temporary crown that may come off.

This new technology allows my dentist to make the crown right then while I am there! The computer does all the measurements and calculations and I think it sounds wonderful to get to have a root canal and crown or, in my case, a filling and new crown in ONE visit! The office gal said it was fascinating to watch one being created in this manner. My little insurance policy does not cover crowns so I have to pay for this myself and had intended to get the old fashioned porcelain exterior and metal interior crown because it was a little cheaper, but now that I understand this Cerec procedure I have chosen it.

I have a limited income and it is struggle with large dental bills but dental work is not something you can skimp on or ignore or put off. My dentist takes credit cards so that is what I will have to do. I don't think you should put this off, plus, your insurance won't cover it because it is a pre-existing condition.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

So you're paying an extra $100 for the convenience of getting a crown made while you wait?

I would think a metal+porcelain crown would be stronger. Unless they grind away more of your tooth so the all-porcelain one is thicker.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20

Premium Member

said by Bobcat79:

So you're paying an extra $100 for the convenience of getting a crown made while you wait?

I would think a metal+porcelain crown would be stronger. Unless they grind away more of your tooth so the all-porcelain one is thicker.
Whether metal plus porcelain is stronger, is a good question. I have a very strong bite (dentist said the strongest he had ever seen) and ground down all my teeth years ago because of it so that would be a definite consideration. I have read that the porcelain is much thicker because more of the tooth can be saved. However, that doesn't apply in my case since this is a THIRD crown on this same tooth. Originally, the first crown (about 25 years ago) was all metal so I would think a lot of the tooth was ground away. I have read that Cerc creates a stronger crown than porcelain with metal interior but I need to do more research.

As for the convenience of one visit that is especially important in Hawaii. As I said, crowns are made on the Mainland and it takes THREE WEEKS. It is VERY EASY to have the temporary crown fall off during that time. If you live on the Mainland, the wait is usually only ONE WEEK and the temporary crown generally remains on the tooth for a week. I have had more than one temp crown fall off from more than one dentist so I don't think is was poor dental technique. It is the problem of having to wear the temp crown for three weeks. Plus, you canNOT chew on that side for THREE WEEKS! Seems to me, it is a bargain and a wonderful thing to be able to get one in the SAME VISIT for about $80 more. Also, impressions are difficult to do correctly. With this new, advanced technique, the computer computes all of that. It is a new era for dentistry and very high tech now.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

If you have a strong bite, I would think you'd want an all-metal crown for a molar. (But I'm not a dentist.) Does the all-porcelain crown come with a guarantee?
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

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Mele20

Premium Member

All metal crown doesn't exist anymore. Just like amalgam fillings are no more. My dentist has not done amalgam fillings for at least ten years now. They are a health risk for him as well as the patient. If I had the money, like some of friends, I'd have all my amalgam fillings removed.

I doubt there is a guarantee but I just learned about this today and I haven't researched it much. No crown will last a long time. I have a very expensive bridge where the teeth on either side of the one that had to be pulled due to a cyst those crowns are porcelain with metal interior and the bridge was expected to last an average of 7-10 years only. I had this done in 2001 I think it was. Today, I would have an implant as that lasts much longer than a fixed bridge without having to destroy good teeth on either side and crown them. Plus, with an implant you don't have the difficulty cleaning around the bridge. Even my dentist can't get the floss in there sometimes when my teeth are cleaned.

All crowns have to replaced especially if you have a strong bite, or if you eat hard candy like the OP, as you can crack the crown just like a tooth. All my back molars have LARGE fillings (amalgam) and the larger the filling the more likely you will crack the tooth as the filling ages and I have done that once and had to get a crown.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

Metal crowns are not a health risk. They're made of something like 10 kt gold. They still make them.

My dentist guarantees crowns for 5 years. If it breaks, he'll replace it a no charge. My wife broke a crown and he replaced it for free. The new one was metal, because it's less likely to break.

My mother-in-law just broke an implant yesterday.

J E F F4
Whatta Ya Think About Dat?
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join:2004-04-01
Kitchener, ON

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probably a couple years. i had cracked tooth and couldn't afford a root canal and it took 2 or 3 years. by that time, another tooth started going, and about 18 months later i had benefits and got myself a sweet root canal (I say sweet because I was giving the pill and gas and man, what a trip) then later got the porcelain crown - now thinking about it, i should have gotten metal and save a few hundred dollars - it wasn't a front tooth, and looking like that guy from james bond might have been actually cool - instead, all i got is crappy white teeth.

boogi man
join:2001-11-13
Jacksonville, FL

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$200 for a tooth being pulled? i wish i paid 672 for my first wisdom tooth. took the guy longer to wait for novacain to kick in than it did to yank the tooth. 2nd wisdom was this past summer in baghdad to the tune of 300 last two were in thailand for a total of 1,600baht last two much more my speed cost wise. my wisdoms had a carrot type root instead of the 4 spread out ones so they just pop right now. easy peasy

Logan 5
What a long strange trip its been
Premium Member
join:2001-05-25
San Francisco, CA

Logan 5

Premium Member

Update:

I finally broke down and got an emergency appointment at Western Dental today (NOT an endorsement of them) because they accept payment plans...

I am told the tooth is not savable b/c of the way it shattered and needs to be pulled. I didn't get it pulled (for $180) b/c the pain I was in raised my BP higher then they wanted to be able to work on me... anything higher then 140/x and they won't work on a person for stroke/heart attack fears..

After 4 hours I was sent home with a prescription for amoxicillin for the infection in the root canal and Motrin for pain.... I'm allergic to codeine/Vicodin and the doc wouldn't give me percocet or higher so I was told to "deal with it" & given an appointment for next Monday (1/16) to have the tooth extracted which gives the antibiotics 6 days to do their thing....

I tried telling her that my BP was only high b/c of the pain I was in and she wasn't buying it...

Needless to say I'm totally underwhelmed by Western Dental's performance so far but w/o insurance and their willingness to arrange payment terms, I really have little choice..
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20

Premium Member

Well, that sucks. I have White Coat hypertension. It's not really hypertension but happens when I am around doctors and not on a regular basis. Could you get your family doctor to call her and indicate that under usual circumstances you don't have hypertension?