To Root or Not to Root

I've had a toothache for the last few weeks. Any time I ingest hot or cold things, both the upper and lower right side of my jaw scream in agony like a chorus of enraptured Mormons witnessing the return of Jesus.

I saw the dentist yesterday; he said I need a root canal on one of my molars, costing a little over $1000. Someone on Facebook suggested getting the tooth pulled for $90. I know I'd get that fixed eventually, but what would that cost me in the long run for a fake tooth and the bridgework to make it possible? Is it cheaper to do the root canal now, or to go with the tooth-pulling option? I could always tie some string around my tooth and tie it to a door, then use a tic-tac to fill the gap...