Can this tooth be saved?

Joined
Sep 29, 2020
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I had this x-ray taken 2 weeks ago. I was put on one round of antibiotics & pain meds 2 weeks ago and I just started my 2nd round today while waiting to get in to see an endodontist this Wed. My concern, as well as the dentist who took the X-ray, is that the decay in this tooth is too severe to save the tooth with a root canal. The endodontist that takes my insurance is pretty far away and I would rather not waste a drive there just to be told that he can't save the tooth. If I'm going to have to have it extracted anyway I don't want my insurance company paying for this appointment and applying it to my $1,200 yearly Max. Can anyone look at this x-ray and determine if it's salvageable? Or do I need to go to the endodontist and let him take a different kind of x-ray? Thank you in advance.
 

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honestdoc

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The restoring dentist has the final say. He/she makes the referral to the endodontist. The endo wants your money so he/she would do the RCT regardless if it is savable. That responsibility is on the referring/restoring dentist. I think it would be more predictable to extract your tooth. Your tooth has decay close to the bone which would be near impossible to seal/restore unless you have crown lengthening surgery (added cost). After you have the surgery (remove bone), the amount of bone left would be compromised. The lifespan of that tooth would be short and the value is not worth the cost of a molar RCT, core bu, crown. This would be similar if your car is worth $1500 and someone hits your car costing $1600 to fix it, the person's insurance company would give you what your car is worth instead of fixing it.
 

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