The outcomes of both dental implants and endodontically treated teeth have been extensively
studied. However, there is still great controversy over when to keep a natural tooth and when to
extract it for a dental implant.
So, what should you do? Keep reading to learn more about these procedures.
A root canal is the treatment of choice for teeth whose roots have been damaged, whether by trauma or decay.
The dentist will numb your tooth before creating an opening through the crown of your tooth to access the pulp chamber.
Then, he or she will clean out the infection and remove any unhealthy pulp to prep the tooth for the filler.
A material known as gutta-percha, are placed into the canals to prevent future infection or contamination.
Youāll get a temporary filling until a permanent one (called a crown) can be placed on your tooth to seal the opening.
Some dentists are recommending dental implants to patients with severely damaged teeth.
Rather than try to restore the tooth, the dentist would simply extract it and replace the hole with an artificial tooth via an implant.
During the procedure, the root of the tooth is replaced with a titanium implant.
The implant is surgically inserted into the jawbone where it will embed and become part of the jaw.
A crown is then placed into the implant. The time frame for completing the dental implant process will depend on several factors.
The traditional method requires two steps ā at the first appointment, the implants placed, then take a few months to heal.
The crowns (the part that looks like a tooth) will be placed at a second appointment. However, some surgeons can complete the process in one visit.
In dentistry, saving a natural tooth is always the best and preferred option of dental professionals because there is nothing better about preserving a personās oral health than their natural teeth.
While implants have their medical need and are generally safe procedures, there is no dispute that there is a higher chance of infection when embedding a foreign substance into a personās mouth.
CONCLUSIONā The patientās preference is of fundamental importance. Some patients prefer not to have extractions at all costs while others avoid high-risk treatments and prefer low-risk options. It is the dentistās responsibility to keep the tooth or replace it with an implant.
