Why a Root Canal Is Better Than an Extraction

If you have a damaged tooth that has become infected, you likely can't wait for the pain to go away. But before you book a dental appointment to have your tooth extracted, consider the alternative. When a tooth is infected, you can either extract the tooth or have root canal treatment performed on the tooth. Root canal treatment is a much better option than extraction in several ways.

Root canals remove the infection and save the tooth

Once a dentist removes the infection from inside an infected tooth, they then fill that tooth with a filling material like that used to treat tooth decay. If the damage to a tooth is too great, a dentist can cover the tooth with a dental crown after the root canal treatment. This way, the pain goes away and you can continue to use your tooth as normal.

An extraction may take away the pain, but you will lose the tooth forever.

Root canals don't impede your ability to eat

Each tooth has an important function to carry out while you chew. The incisors cut, the canines tear and the premolars and molars crush. Losing just one tooth can affect your ability to chew your food properly. This may then give you digestion issues and even put extra pressure on your remaining teeth.

A root canal will save your tooth and thus leave your ability to eat food comfortably intact.

Root canals have a positive impact on your appearance

Once you remove a tooth, unless you plan to replace that tooth with a dental implant, you will have a gap in your smile for the rest of your life. This may affect your appearance and your confidence. Root canals have no effect on how you look. In fact, the filling or crown placed after a root canal will improve the appearance of your infected tooth long term.

Tooth extractions can lead to various problems in the future

When you extract a tooth, your body reacts to this tooth loss. For instance, the bone where your extracted tooth once was will begin to resorb. Your body will then use the materials from the resorbed jawbone elsewhere in your body. And if your jawbone shrinks due to tooth loss, your appearance will change noticeably, especially after losing multiple teeth.

Tooth loss can also cause adjacent teeth to move into the gap left behind by the extracted tooth. This causes crooked teeth and crowding, which can only be fixed with orthodontic (braces) treatment. A simple root canal treatment will take away the pain, restore your tooth and preserve your appearance.

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