Experiencing any kind of accident is scary, but your fear might have increased once you realized that you sustained damage to your mouth. Whether you fell and hit your face on the ground or were in a car accident, tooth damage is not something to ignore. A tooth that is badly injured in an accident may hurt, turn a different color, or even have an obvious fracture. If the damage is bad enough, your dentist will likely offer you several options to eliminate the pain and prevent infection. Root canals are often recommended over an extraction, yet you may still be on the fence about which treatment you prefer. Choosing root canal treatment offers you these benefits over pulling the tooth and replacing it with a false one.
Experience Less Pain Compared to an Extraction
With new treatments such as implants, your first thought might be to choose a more permanent option so that you don't have to go through this pain again. However, you'll want to carefully consider what this might mean. You can use anesthesia to get you through an extraction, but you'll still experience some degree of pain as you go through the healing process. Root canals are fairly painless, and many people don't feel anything at all throughout the entire process. After your treatment is over, you might have some tenderness for a few days, but it will be far more comfortable than healing from an extraction.
Heal From the Injury Faster
The recovery time following a root treatment usually lasts only a couple of days. With extraction, you could be looking at a longer recovery time before you begin to feel better. If you opt for implants, then you'll have additional healing time once the posts are placed. The process of getting an implant can take several months if you have gum disease or other factors that influence your recovery. While the lengthy recovery time is worth it for an implant when you have no other choice, it is usually better to go with the least invasive option.
Avoid Paying for More Expensive Tooth Replacements
Preserving your natural tooth is usually the most cost-effective option, even if you do have to put forth a minor investment at first. After the dentist treats the root, they'll place a special filling inside to reinforce its strength. Most of the time, they'll also place a crown on top to further reduce the chance of breakage. Although crowns do need to be replaced from time to time, they usually last for many years. They are also less expensive than a denture, bridge, or implant. Being able to keep the cost of your treatment lower over a longer period of time helps you to keep preserving your smile more affordable.
Contact a company like Cottonwood Dental to learn more about root canals.
Share