I vote for the extraction, too. I am in the same predicament myself. My worst amalgam (almost the entire tooth) is on my lower left back molar. It is going to have to be pulled, because it would cost $1,000 just to "try" and fix that one, and it is a useless tooth, there is no tooth above it. I had a wisdom tooth pulled several years ago, and my wisdom tooth was FUSED to my back tooth (good, no amalgam molar) and they had to take them both. I actually saw them, it sure was two teeth attached in the middle. I thought the dentist was going to pull my head clear off, pulling two teeth at once.

IMHO it is not worth the agony or worry of a root canal, I would just get it out and be at peace with it.