I am on immune suppressant drugs for arthrits will this affect the root canal treatments success

Q. Hi – I have recently, somehow, cracked the third tooth from the back, lower jaw and on my right hand side. My dentist has removed the filling that was already there and put in a dressing which has eased the pain. I have now to decide whether to opt for route canal treatment and a crown or complete extraction. He advises the former. However I am wondering if it’s possible to simply have the route treament and then re-fill the tooth (to cut down on expense)? Another complicating factor is that I am on immuno suppressant drugs for arthrits – methotrexate and infliximab infusions (anti TNF treatment) and I wonder if this might affect the chances of a successful outcome. Basically I don’t want to go ahead and pay a lot of money if the route canal treament might not succeed anyway. Also, the corresponding tooth on the other side is nearly all filling so I suspect this won’t last too much longer either. Would I be best off opting for a crown for the one on the right hand side as they are both quite large teeth and presumably life would be difficult without both of them!! Would appreciate some objective advice from you. Many thanks

A. Long term success of root canal treatment if affected by the seal on top. If you decide to save the tooth you should crown it if its already heavily filled. if cashflow is the issue, patch the filling as a shortterm measure then crown next year.

Dr Rob Tennet St Johns Dental Practice 18 Bennett’s Hill, Birmingham, B2 5QJ Web: www.e-dentalpractice.co.uk

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