Root canal procedure is notorious for being painful, although, with highly effective dental anesthetics and innovations in modern dentistry, that is not the case anymore. Some people still prefer to bear the pain from a severely decayed tooth and risk losing the tooth instead of undergoing a root canal.
These apprehensions make many people looking for root canal therapy in Cranbrook wonder, what are the alternatives to a root canal? But first, let us see what a root canal is.
Essential Facts About The Root Canal Procedure
A root canal is a treatment to save a tooth suffering from severe decay. The decay could be caused by accidental trauma cracking the tooth, cavities or gum infections. When tooth decay remains untreated for a sufficiently long time, it starts impacting the soft mass of living tissue within the tooth, called the pulp. At this point, it is important to treat the decay or else the tooth will need to be extracted.
The root canal procedure begins with cleaning and sanitizing the pulp chamber that has been infected. Then, a composite resin material called gutta-percha is filled in the pulp chamber to replace the pulp and retain the tooth structure. Finally, a crown is placed over the treated tooth to protect it against further decay.
What Are The Alternatives To A Root Canal?
Although a root canal is the best option to save a dying tooth, a dentist at the dental clinic near you might offer you other alternatives to it. However, you must bear in mind that none of these alternatives can resurrect a dying tooth in the same way.
- Tooth extraction - If you want to avoid a root canal, you might end up having to extract the tooth altogether once the decay has destroyed the entire structure of the tooth. Extractions are more painful than root canals and have long-term consequences affecting your entire dental structure. Most common among the issues resulting from tooth extractions are, shifting of teeth and speech and eating difficulties.
- Pulp capping - This method entails the use of a dental sealant to shut-off the opening of the tooth pulp and stop the infection. Although it might work for a while, in most cases, a root canal is eventually required to completely resolve the problem.
- A dental bridge - This alternative is used if you have chosen not to undergo the root canal therapy near you in favour of tooth extraction. Once a tooth is extracted, the gap left by it must be filled up to enable your mouth to function as before. A bridge is a dental appliance that places a prosthetic in the gap by using your adjacent healthy teeth for anchorage.
- Dental implants - A dental implant is also a way of filling the gap left by an extracted tooth. Under this method, a metal post is placed in your jawbone to replace the roots of the lost tooth, then a crown is placed over it to restore the dental structure. Although a lengthy process, a dentist at the dental clinic in Cranbrook can guide you on the pros and cons of this treatment before recommending it.
Root Canal Vs The Alternatives
The misconception that a root canal is painful is the main culprit leading people to look for a better alternative to resolve their tooth decay. The truth is that a root canal itself is not painful. It is the pain from the severe tooth decay that causes you to think that the treatment would be painful as well. On the contrary, a root canal eliminates the pain by saving the tooth from extraction, which should always be the last resort. However, in rare cases, a dentist might recommend tooth extraction if they feel that performing a root canal may not be a long-term solution for your decayed tooth.
If you are experiencing severe pain from tooth decay, consult with our expert endodontists at Symmetry Dental to work out the best treatment plan to relieve the pain and restore your oral health to a perfect shape.