Well guess what - I opted for the root canal and it didn't hurt a bit! There was the discomfort of keeping my mouth open for well over an hour, and the drill makes an awful scary noise - but there was no pain. I guess the problem was the student dentists at the clinic. They basically know how to do it, but an experienced dentist just does a smoother job. I still have to get a crown, but that's painless, I think, and I'm glad I kept the tooth.

It will be painful paying for it though. Never again will I neglect a loose filling and I'll be going for dental checkups twice a year to nip any problems in the bud.