To chew or not to chew

This is what a Root Canal procedure looks like. First, an unhealthy tooth with an abscessed root. Second, the tooth is drilled out down to the pulp. Third, a little rasp-thingy clears infected pulp and stuff from the tooth's root and the resulting empty canal is disinfected. Fourth, the empty canals are filled with a bio-compatible rubber substance and the tooth is crowned.

This is what my dentist told me today that I need. I started having a major toothache yesterday, so this morning I called her office begging them to work me in. She took a look, x-rayed it, and pronounced it in serious need of a root canal.

And this costs $890.

So it's either a root canal or we replace our almost-dead TV. We were just looking at LCD TVs the other day at Sam's Club... not big ones, mind you. Our TV, which is at least ten years old, has begun losing its color balance, so we're watching everything in yellow unless we whack the side of it just right. It's been a very good TV, but it's at the end of a reasonable TV lifespan.

I may be able to live with a gap in my back teeth.

Decisions.