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Choose Saving Your Tooth Over Extraction
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Posted on 10/23/2015 by Tom Bierman |
 One of your dentist's top priorities is to help you maintain your natural teeth for as long as possible, and in most cases, they will work as hard as they can to avoid extraction. There are a variety of alternatives to extraction that you should consider before deciding to remove a tooth, but some people wonder why they should go to all of that trouble.
In fact, there are a variety of benefits associated with saving a tooth rather than removing it, and there are several tips that you can follow to try and make that happen.
Benefits of Saving Your ToothIf you are debating between saving your tooth and having it extracted, there are several distinct advantages that you should consider:
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Maintain a natural appearance. One of the biggest reasons that people like to save their original teeth is because it will help them to maintain a natural smile. Whether you are missing multiple teeth or only have one that is damaged, the space that is left behind after an extraction will dramatically alter your smile. While there are restorations available like dental implants, it is best to try and retain your natural teeth for as long as possible. |
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Protect the rest of your teeth. Your teeth serve important functions in supporting each other to ensure that they stay in the right place. When you have a tooth extracted, the rest of your teeth will begin to shift into the open space. This makes the rest of your teeth more susceptible to bacteria and wear. |
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Better chewing. You might not know it, but having all of your teeth will affect the way that you chew. When you have your natural teeth in place, you'll be able to maintain the natural bite of your teeth, and when the teeth are removed, this alignment will change. After extraction, you might find that you are overcompensating for a missing tooth by chewing in a strange way to avoid the new gap, and this can ultimately cause problems with your jaw. |
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Less healing time. The healing time associated with a root canal procedure is significantly less than that of an extraction. A tooth extraction is a surgical procedure, and it will take time to heal. You also won't need to make any decisions about what to do after your tooth is removed, such as investing in dental implants or a bridge, as long as you are able to maintain your natural teeth. |
Important Tips for Saving Your Teeth]If you are concerned about saving your teeth, it is important to keep a few tips in mind. If ever you are given the chance to choose between a root canal or tooth extraction, always choose the root canal as your first option. If your dentist flat out recommends extraction, be sure to ask whether treatment with a root canal is an option. In some cases, your best bet may be to meet with an endodontist in order to determine the possibility of having a root canal.
There are a few things that you should also be sure to avoid when it comes to saving your teeth. Never decide on an extraction because you think that the process will be less expensive than an alternative. Likewise, you should never select extraction because you think that a root canal treatment will be painful, as the simple fact is that extraction generally tends to come with more discomfort. Additionally, you should never choose an extraction because you feel the procedure will be faster, as the time and money that you will spend on your final restoration will likely cancel out any time savings that you earned by forgoing a root canal.
If you have any questions about your options and whether a root canal might be right for saving your tooth, please contact our office.
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