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Alternatives to Root Canal
A root canal is synonymous with extreme pain and suffering. Though there is some truth to this, a root
canal isn’t really as bad as it seems. Even
still, the thought of a drill removing most of the inside of your tooth is a
bit grotesque. For those who feel
queasy about a painful surgery and recovery, and the distinct possibility of a
canal re-infection, there are not many alternatives to root canal surgery.
One of the surefire root canal alternatives is a tooth
extraction. A tooth removal deals with the problem by completely removing the
infected tooth. Considering that the
tooth would be essentially dead after a canal surgery, this is not much
different. The only thing is that once
the tooth is removed, it will need to be replaced with either a dental implant
or a partial denture. This could
eventually end up costing you a lot more money than attempting to keep the
tooth in place with a root canal surgery.
There is one new alternative that is still under
development. A company now offers a simpler
treatment that involves a reconstructive paste that slowly repairs the inside
of a tooth. This injected material
promotes the regeneration of dentin, or the inner portion of the mouth. Though it won’t repair the tooth back to
healthy living condition, it effectively caps the tooth from further infection
without the need for invasive root canal surgery. You should note that such treatments are highly experimental
right now and their results are often mixed.
Though an extraction is a fast way to quickly rectify
problems with your root canal, you should never rush into it. That’s because keeping a dead tooth in your
mouth us better than having no teeth at all.
The question is whether or not it can be completely cleaned of all
infectious tissue.
If you’re unsure which course of action you wish to pursue,
you can always delay your surgery for a while.
Your dentist can perform some less invasive surgery to help alleviate
the pain while you make up your mind.
The decision should be pretty straightforward though. An extraction removes the problem with 100%
certainty, while a root canal surgery may or may not cure the problem. The experimental dentin-regeneration techniques
are still uncertain in its effectiveness at this time.
Root canal infection is a serious condition that should not
be taken lightly. The pain can be an
extreme nuisance so the choice to save the tooth or remove it should be made as
quickly as possible.
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