Help- I need great dental advice?

I have an appt. to see my dentist in the AM to complete work on a cavity that was cleaned up and a temporary filling put on. My dentist said that they can either do a root canal and crown or pull it. Are there any other options? I also have maybe 10-12 other cavities. Gross, I know, but bad teeth run in my family, and I planned on getting false teeth, as my mom did by the time she was my age, so I didn't invest in fixing the cavities. A root canal/crown costs $1600, so if I have to do that to all of the cavities (hopefully not) then that would be spending up to $20,000 on my mouth!! Even though I have dental insurance that pays 80%, I don't have $4,000!! I think my dentist sees $$ in my mouth. Or is he just trying to help? Can you help me decide what 'plan' to decide on tomorrow when I see him? Thanks~
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I had the same problems. I had a lot of deep fillings from when I was a teenager and now that I am older they all came back to hunt me. Since some of my older fillings were so deep they started to agitate my nerves and I ended up getting root canals for all of them. I think you're better off getting root canals rather than getting them pulled. Don't get false teeth!!!
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