23 Jun Root Canal Treatment or a Dental Implant?

WHICH IS BETTER, ROOT CANAL TREATMENT, OR SHOULD I OPT FOR EXTRACTION AND A DENTAL IMPLANT?

When a tooth is badly broken down or decayed there are usually only two options.

1. Extract the tooth and accept the space or provide a replacement.
2. If the tooth is restorable then the tooth can be saved using Root Canal Treatment.

However, many people don’t consider having a Root Canal Treatment (RCT) and often opt for extraction and replace the missing tooth with a Dental Implant.

Why is this?

Well it has been thought that Root Canal Treatment is not a long lasting treatment and not as successful as a Dental Implant in the long term but is this true now and perhaps we should consider saving a tooth more with Root Canal Treatment?

If you ask anyone about root canal and they will often tell stories of long drawn out treatments that are uncomfortable and quite frankly not pleasant. To some extent root canal has always been a little complicated and outcomes have been less than definitive, however, things have much improved in this area.

We recently had a CBCT machine fitted or a scanner and this is fantastic in helping us decide whether a tooth can realistically be saved or should be extracted and an implant provided. You can see Simon’s video here explaining all about the scan and how useful it is in diagnosis.

Once we understand the three dimensional anatomy of the root structure that we achieve from a scan we are in a much better position to offer a positive prognosis and consequently we can tell which cases will not be suitable for RCT.

Modern RCT requires the use of files to cleanse out the canal structure and again these systems are far superior than they ever were offering us a positive treatment outcome for our patients.

Once a tooth has been root treated it will also need a crown or cap to protect the remaining structure from fracture. Teeth that have been root treated tend to be weaker and need protection with this sort of restoration but with this provision can go on to give many years of service.

So what can you expect long term and what of the cost in the first place? If a Root Canal Treatment and subsequent crown is not much different in cost to a dental implant is it not better to consider a dental implant at the outset?

These are questions that need to be discussed with your dentist when deciding upon treatments. We will always offer the pros and cons including discussing the costs of the treatments and the long term expectancies. Your own dental health as well as general health needs to be considered as well as your future dental requirements.

If you would like to discuss some of these matters or any dental concerns then do contact the practice on 01623 629359 or contact us via our Website and we can arrange an initial chat to start the conversation.

The Clinical Team

Thackeray Dental Mansfield