Two Options: Root Canal or Pulling the Back Molar — Wanting to Avoid Making Tinnitus Worse

[Joubles]

Will having my back molar pulled make the tinnitus worse?

I had a crown put on my back molar 9 months ago. The crown did not bother me until recently.

The ringing started 6 months ago after a perfect storm of the following events:
The vaccine, earbuds, a loud concert, TMJ, teeth grinding, allergies, tons of really bad stress.

In addition last month I caught COVID-19.

I did suffer the following when ringing first started in April:
Brain fog (now resolved), hyperacusis (now resolved), ear fullness (now resolved), ear crackling (occasionally), fluid feeling in my ears (occasionally). I still have intermittent uncomfortable congestion and some coughing but the cough is going away.

I have been to four dentists. The specialist have given me two options:

A ROOT CANAL or PULL THE TOOTH.

The dentist has filed down the crown but it still hurts and it feels like it's touching the top tooth causing that to be painful. My regular dentist does not want to remove the crown and replace it. I think he is concerned that the tooth underneath is unstable and may not tolerate pulling off the crown.

Dental X-rays do not show a visible crack or anything conclusive under the crown. Yet the tooth still has a dull pain intermittently every day.

What should I do? Pull the tooth? Please share any advice. I don't want to do anything to make the ringing worse. But what if that solves the problem. What if the ringing was aggravated by the over sized tall crown and pulling the tooth fixes the problem. But... What if it doesn't fix the problem?

 

[Lilah]

Unless it is your wisdom tooth, you should try to save your tooth if possible. Molar teeth are important for chewing. It is also important to chew on both sides equally to prevent TMJ issues.

I got root canals before I got tinnitus, so I cannot comment on impact on tinnitus.

I did extract a molar (after failed root canals and infection), and I observed no impact on my tinnitus.

 

[Damocles]

A ROOT CANAL or PULL THE TOOTH.

If it were an upper molar, I'd say remove it. If it were a lower molar, which I believe it is, based on this quote from you:

The dentist has filed down the crown but it still hurts and it feels like it's touching the top tooth causing that to be painful.

I'd say go ahead with the root canal.

Reason being: I believe the bone conduction would be far worse were the operation performed on the teeth that are directly embedded in the skull, rather than the lower jaw.

Anyway, stick around and collect some more opinions before you make a decision (because, disclaimer: I've never had a root canal) and I'm sure you'll get lots of good answers (like the one above me, from our very own @Lilah here).

Good luck and please keep us posted.

 

[Joubles]

Thank you Lilah,

My back molar was pretty much a non functioning tooth. It was really small. It had been filled with an amalgam filling and was almost even with the gum line. The specialist said since it was very small to begin with and it was not visible that it most likely would not cause problems.

The root canal, which would save the tooth — would not address the issue of the crown being too high or too big.

I would like to remove the crown and start over with a tiny crown but my dentist didn't want to do that?

Are there any dentists on the forum that could tell me why not replace the crown with a smaller crown?

Thanks,
Joubles

 

[Lilah]

Thank you Lilah,

My back molar was pretty much a non functioning tooth. It was really small. It had been filled with an amalgam filling and was almost even with the gum line. The specialist said since it was very small to begin with and it was not visible that it most likely would not cause problems.

The root canal, which would save the tooth — would not address the issue of the crown being too high or too big.

I would like to remove the crown and start over with a tiny crown but my dentist didn't want to do that?

Are there any dentists on the forum that could tell me why not replace the crown with a smaller crown?

Thanks,
Joubles

My situation is similar in that I also had a low-functioning molar. It was a problem tooth for almost 20 years (had 2 root canals and multiple crowns on that tooth). I had cracked that tooth in the beginning so there was a filling. Each time with a new root canal or new crown fitting, the dentists shaved the tooth so at the end my tooth was barely above gum line. I stopped wearing the crown as it fell off, and that caused the infection. I am fine without the molar but I know it is not good for the long term, so I will get an implant at some point. The crown size has to do with spacing and your bite, so that's maybe why your dentist is hesitant. I wanted a taller/higher crown but my dentist said not possible as my tooth was already flat, unless I reduce my gum line a bit exposing more of my tooth.

 

[Joubles]

@Lilah,

1. Did pulling the tooth cause your tinnitus to get worse?
2. How long was your recovery?
3. Did you have to take pain killers? If so, which ones?
4. Did you have to take antibiotics?

Thanks in advance for more details about your tooth,
Joubles

 

[Lilah]

Did pulling the tooth cause your tinnitus to get worse?

No.

How long was your recovery?

A few days for pain to go away.

Did you have to take pain killers? If so, which ones?

I was prescribed painkillers but did not take them.

Did you have to take antibiotics?

I took antibiotics because of the infection I believe not because of tooth removal. Underneath that tooth my gums were swollen due to the infection. I don't remember which pill, and whether it was before or after the removal.

 

[sjtinguy]

If you managed to be ok through the drilling to get the crown, a root canal should be ok too. If they do a root canal without removing the crown, they won't even do that much drilling, mostly they drill a small hole and then use hand tools to remove your nerves.

Dentist drilling sounds so crazy loud to me, the most difficult part is dealing with it when it's happening. Once it's over I don't usually notice any big spikes. Though recently I did opt for a filling over a crown just to reduce the amount of drilling that was needed.