Can someone give me advice if I need a root canal?

[tacet22]

A few days ago, I was just eating some steak, and was chewing it with my left back molars. Suddenly, I experienced some pain. It felt like my teeth misaligned with the food or something. Since then, the molars have been painful only when it's exposed to cold liquids and hot liquids (it's not that painful for hot) and when it goes into contact with foods. (if i chew with an empty mouth and grind my teeth against each other, it's not painful.) The pain is like a dull prolonged pain anywhere from three to 10 seconds or so, but then subsides.

I saw the dentist today and they said I might need to get a root canal (referred me to specialist for a closer look). They showed me an X-ray saying there's that the gray stuff I see around my nerve is the cavity (?)

Based on this info, do you think I likely will need a root canal? I'm trying to avoid it if possible Here are the X-Rays: https://imgur.com/a/ndjpt

Should I get a second opinion from another dentist (and if so how?)

 

[TallPoppy]

If I may ask, why do you want to avoid an RCT? is it cost reasons or?

If you want some relief from the pain at earliest I guess you have only two options, an RCT or an extraction.
If money is not much of a problem you can explore a third option called Vital Pulp Therapy. But get quite knowledgeable in this subject before you approach your dentist, they may be very reluctant to proceed because of perception issue. That is if it fails patients will blame the dentists than understand that VPT can have a high failure rate. But if VPT fails you always have RCT, Apico, extraction, prosthesis/implants etc.

Wishing you well!

 

[tacet22]

If I may ask, why do you want to avoid an RCT? is it cost reasons or?

If you want some relief from the pain at earliest I guess you have only two options, an RCT or an extraction.
If money is not much of a problem you can explore a third option called Vital Pulp Therapy. But get quite knowledgeable in this subject before you approach your dentist, they may be very reluctant to proceed because of perception issue. That is if it fails patients will blame the dentists than understand that VPT can have a high failure rate. But if VPT fails you always have RCT, Apico, extraction, prosthesis/implants etc.

Wishing you well!

Many reasons why I want to avoid. Cost is one of them, but I typically like to go for natural remedies first

 

[TallPoppy]

I am unsure if natural remedies has any standing with dentistry (aside a few quacks with 'my paste cures all' ads in the net).

Do get a second or even a third opinion. If money is not much of a bother (consultation fees) most endodontist will not take offence if you tell them you want their second opinion and show them the previous xrays.

If you can ride out the pain then the pulp will get necrotic and die and will stop giving you any trouble. I know of a few in my earlier generation who have done this. Of course the tooth will slowly crumble if you don't control carries or break if you are not careful etc, but folks have done it, of course only to ultimately end up in a dentist chair (albeit later in their life). You cant have bad teeth with only natural remedies for a long life unless you are Mao Zedong.

Remember quite some research is confident that teeth health impacts health of some of the other organs. Do you know that the typical god intended life span of homo sapiens (yeah us) is only 45 to 50 years, These buggers in medical field are to totally blame for inventing non natural things and extending this gap to well over 75 years. And I don't know of any other nature loving species in earth to have done this!

 

[MattKW]

It's a very deep cavity in 27 (FDI notation), and after excavating the decay, it is very likely you'll have a pulp exposure; then have to choose between RCT or extraction. There is no natural remedy for decay like this. Your alternatives are:

1. Go the full depth of decay removal and not strike the pulp (you'd be lucky), then seal up with Dycal/amalgam. For God's sake, don't bother with composite for this depth of cavity - it will fail within 2 years.
   
2. Remove most of decay, then seal up with Dycal/amalgam, and see if that works for a few years.
3. Go the full depth of decay removal, prob expose pulp, then RCT.
4. As for 2, but plan for crown later for 27 plus tooth in front (26, FDI)
5. Go the full depth of decay removal, prob expose pulp, then extract the tooth.

Another issue to consider is that since you've already had deep decay in the 26, then maybe extracting the 27 would remove this problem area of cleaning for you, and prevent/minimise risk of decay again in 26. If you do choose this path, then consider crown on 26 to prevent fracture.
Why not print this up and take it to your dentist, or endodontist?