Originally Posted by kane

I had some neck issues the last couple of weeks and finally had the pain migrate to my jaw last weekend. On Monday it was hurting bad so I go to the dentist and find out my problem is that a tooth that I got a filling in when I was a kid (probably around 13-14, I'm now 37) has cracked. The top of the tooth had a new cavity in it and it had damaged the nerve and caused an infection.

My options were:
1. Root canal with a build up and cap. This would require 2-3 trips depending on how involved the root canal was going to get.

2. get the tooth pulled and eventually I will have to get a bridge put in.

I went with option number 2. They told me #1 wasn't a guarantee and that it may not heal correctly and end up getting pulled anyway (even though there was only a 10-15% chance of that) and I didn't want to end up going through all that crap. The tooth is in the back so you can't see it so I didn't care and had them pull it.

I've spent much of this week in a vicoden haze, but the pain is gone.

It is amazing how a little thing like a tooth can shut you down.