Which is better root canal or extraction?

Healthy and attractive looking teeth are a great source of joy and self confidence and of course good health. But most people have dental problems at some point in their lives.

Dental problems in younger children are different from Dental problems of teenagers, young adults, the middle aged or the old. Treatments are normally the same -with a little variation depending on the age and severity of the problem

A gap in the teeth not only affects the aesthetics of the face but also causes other related problems like infections and inflammations

Tooth infections can be very painful and sometimes debilitating.  There are two main and common ways to treat tooth infections

• Tooth Extraction
• Root canal Treatment

Tooth Extraction

Tooth extraction is commonly perceived as a simple and an inexpensive procedure with no disadvantages. The fact is that once a tooth is extracted it is impossible to leave a gap in the mouth. The gap will have to be plugged using an artificial tooth or a dental bridge or an implant all of which are foreign bodies.  A gap between the teeth affects the adjacent teeth making them loose or ‘mobile’. This can also cause accumulation of food particles and the resultant bacterial infections causing serious harm.Replacing an extracted tooth may require more time and expense.

Conditions Which Require Tooth Extraction

• Significant amount of tooth decay or damage
• loose or mobile  teeth
• crowded teeth
• When a tooth is unable to erupt from the gum
• baby teeth failing to fall and new permanent teeth already erupting
• Pain and swelling in the gum because of an impacted tooth especially the wisdom teeth

Procedure for Tooth Extractions

• Simple extraction - In this procedure, the tooth and the surrounding areas are made numb to avoid pain and complete the procedure smoothly with a small dose of anaesthesia.
• The dentist loosens up the tooth
• Using a pair of forceps, the dentist can  then easily pull out the tooth
• Patient may feel a little bit  of pressure but not pain when the dentist pulls the tooth out
•  Dentist will place a bit of gauze over the empty area and ask you to bite on it to stop the bleeding.

This is a simple, painless procedure which hardly takes any time.

Surgical extraction may be required in case :

• An impacted tooth
• A tooth which has broken at the gumline
• A tooth which has not erupted
• A tooth which is too large and cannot get extracted in one piece

During this procedure, the dental surgeon :

• Makes a small incision on the gum to access the affected tooth.
• For a very large tooth the surgeon may break the tooth to smallpieces for easy removal.
• For an impacted tooth the dental surgeon will cut away  some gum and bone tissue, then loosen the tooth to extract it

It is very important to update dentist on medication being taken and medical history especially for ailments like Diabetes and Hypertension

There is an alternative to tooth extraction which is called a root canal treatment.In a root canal treatment the original natural tooth is retained.

Root Canal Treatment

Modern techniques and anaesthesia make Root Canal therapy virtually painless and a very convenient and healthy choice.

Studies and research show that people who have undergone root canal treatment of teeth feel that this mode of treatment is less painful than an extraction.

Broadly an RCT treatment of teeth involves removal of the inflammation in the pulp of the tooth, cleaning the root canal and sealing it.  A filling or a crown is fixed to protect the tooth.

Root Canal Treatment Steps

The dentist injects a small dose of local anaesthesia to numb the area around the tooth. After the tooth is numb, the dentist will isolate the tooth to keep it clean and dry during the procedure.

Very small tools are used to access the inside of the tooth. An opening is created in the top portion of the tooth and the damaged and diseased pulp from the inside of the tooth is cleaned.

Once the pulp is thoroughly cleaned, the dentist will fill it with a temporary filling and close the opened tooth

Very soon a permanent crown will be fitted and the original tooth will be as good as ever.

The advantage of RCT Treatment is that no bridge, denture, or even implant will feel like an original or natural tooth.

Root canal treatment and tooth extractions have a very high rate of success

Root canal treatment has several advantages over tooth extraction. Cost is one of the major factors. Initial costs of root canal therapy are higher but it is a onetime expense

Tooth extractions can have long-term costs because after an extraction a dental bridge or implant may be required to keep the gap from affecting the adjacent teeth and related problems.

In case of confusion or hesitation seek expert advice from qualified and expert dentists at Apollo Dental on the type of treatment which will be ideal for you.