I am 26 years old and have had crooked teeth since the 5th grade. They drive me crazy! I eventually would like to have them straightened. My current issue is whether or not to keep or extract a tooth I have been having issues with. I was the victim of a fraudulent dentist who really did a number on this tooth. It was one of the only places my insurance would cover, and since have been paying cash for my dental work. I'm real happy with my new dentist, but of course he feels I would regret pulling the tooth.

The problem tooth is #14 (I believe that is correct... top left, first molar). It has a crown (if you can call it that... they had ground it down to the filling) that was put on wrong and has been festering for years. My dentist wants to pull the crown off and clean it up, but it could need a root canal and definitely would need another crown. I would prefer to pull it. My reasoning, aside from money, is that my front left teeth are overcrowded. I am thinking this could help with the straightening of my teeth later. Let me explain in detail... #9 slightly overlaps #8, #9 and #10 collide inwards, #11 is rotated inward with 1/2 sitting behind #10, #12 & #13 are straight but placed further to the front than the opposing teeth on the right side. I would definitely prefer braces vs veneers or caps and would never want to remove a tooth toward the front. Therefore, it seems logical to just remove it. Your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated, as I do not know how far you can shift teeth and such. Thanks