Did you know that if your tooth dies, your dentist will most likely have to remove it? Sadly, your teeth can die for a number of reasons, including trauma, decay, or infection. Luckily, there are many things a dentist can do to protect your teeth, including root canal therapy. However, we understand that many patients would simply prefer to have an infected tooth removed rather than visit a dentist for a dreaded root canal. Usually this is because root canal therapy has a bad reputation for being extremely painful. However, most patients who have gone through the treatment say it is mostly painless.
In essence, pain shouldn’t scare you away from root canal therapy: but other factors should be considered. For example, after root canal therapy your tooth will function as normal. Conversely, if a tooth is extracted, you’ll need a restorative treatment like a crown or a bridge to complete your smile and to make simple acts like chewing and speaking comfortable. Sadly, these restorations are for more expensive than root canal therapy, and because they may eventually need to be replaced, you could pay for them more than once.
Alternatively, you could simply choose to have the tooth removed and not replaced. But this is not the best approach. Aside from leaving a cosmetically unappealing gap in your smile, having a missing tooth can make your teeth shift. Having gaps in your smile will also make your smile more difficult to clean and leave you more susceptible to gum disease.
Overall, root canal therapy is a better option for your oral health. If you are interested in learning more about root canal therapy or a tooth extraction, please feel free to contact us today. We are eager to hear from you.