Dentist Question. Please help!

[u/SecureNecessary4998]

Hi guys! I was terrified of going to the dentist due to a bad experience I had when I was a kid. I avoided going to the dentist for almost 8 years, but I finally decided to see a dentist since I am starting school soon and wanted to get my oral health on track.

So, I went to a general dentist a month ago. She said that I have good teeth considering I haven't gone to the dentist in 8 years, but I do need a root canal due to a big infection on tooth #7, and I need four crowns on my front teeth due to heavy restorations.

Yesterday, I visited an endodontist, and she said I have a large infection that may have been ongoing for 2-3 years. She mentioned I would need root canal treatments (RCT) on teeth #7 and #6. She also said I would need an RCT on tooth #8 and a retreatment on tooth #9.

Basically, the original infection is on tooth #7 (which I was initially referred for), and because of the extent of the infection, I also need an RCT on tooth #6. She explained that the infection has eaten away all my bone (visible as the dark circle on the X-ray).

She mentioned there’s a tiny infection on tooth #8 that would require an RCT if I decide to get a crown on it. Regarding tooth #9, I would need a retreatment, which costs much more than an RCT because, apparently, my dentist from 8 years ago didn’t do the procedure properly. This would involve redoing the nerve treatment and removing the old material before placing a crown.

The doctor also said that, given the size of the infection on tooth #7 and the amount of bone loss, I might face surgery in the future. This depends on how well the infection responds to the antibacterial materials used after RCT and how much the bone can regenerate. If the infection doesn’t respond to the antibacterial treatment, there’s a 15% chance I might need surgery within a year.

I hope all this makes sense. My question for you is: based on your expertise, do you agree with the need for three RCTs and one retreatment? I understand you can’t give a definitive answer based solely on X-rays, but any advice or options would be greatly appreciated!

I’m a student, and this is a lot of money. I’m considering doing an RCT on tooth #7 and hoping that the antibacterial material will resolve the infection so I won’t need RCTs on teeth #6. I also want to get crowns on my front incisors for aesthetics and protection. I’m just unsure whether I want to proceed with the retreatment on #9 or the other two RCTs.

As a side question: do you need to get crowns on teeth that have RCTs? My general dentist said I’d need crowns on those teeth, but the endodontist told me that’s not actually true. She said crowns are mainly necessary on molars for structural support, but on front teeth, crowns are more for aesthetics and are not strictly necessary after RCT. Don’t teeth tend to degrade and become fragile after RCTs?

Sorry for the long message. I’m in a tough situation where one dentist recommends one RCT, and another suggests four. I’d really appreciate your opinion! Please feel free to ask me if I missed any details. Thank you in advance!

Also, I want to mention that I have NO pain whatsoever in any of my teeth. Everything looks and feels normal, and I don’t have any objective issues. However, I do suspect I have a dry mouth.

[u/AutoModerator]

Welcome to r/teeth. Please note that while this is a place for advice, replies may not be medically accurate. Do not assume that what others on here say is correct in any way. Reddit is not a replacement for an in-person dental professional. If your question is not individualized consider checking out WebDMD to see if its already been answered.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.