Dental implants are a great way to replace missing teeth, but they are not perfect. We always strive to save your natural teeth first and only when circumstances require removal of a tooth would we choose a dental implant next. The deciding factor on saving a tooth or not depends on the extent of damage to the tooth and how much of the tooth remains. Often such teeth require root canal treatment and protection afterwards with a crown.
Root canal treatment is a procedure that treats dead or dying teeth. This can happen due to deep cavities that are close to the nerve of the tooth or due to trauma/accidents that damage the nerve inside the tooth.
The inside of the tooth and roots contain the nerves of the tooth Once the root canal procedure is completed, it can leave the tooth weaker and more brittle. The crown or “cap” is placed over top of the remaining tooth to protect it. This is very important especially on BACK teeth.
Root canal success depends also on how much of the tooth is remaining. Most of the time there is no issue with root canal treatment as long as the tooth is properly protected. If the original tooth had a big cavity that compromised the remaining structure of the tooth, then the long term success of that tooth may be affected.
I personally don’t believe in heroic dentistry. This means that if i don’t think the tooth will serve you adequately then I would not suggest to invest 2000-3000 into a tooth for root canal treatment and crown only to have it removed a few years later.
If the tooth is badly damaged, I would suggest to invest the cost toward dental implant treatment as the long term prognosis would be better. The cost of doing this would be far cheaper in the long term.
Dental implants have a greater than 90 percent success rate while compared to compromised teeth that may fail at 50 percent rate in 10 years.
If the tooth is fixable, I will recommend root canal treatment first, however the advantages and disadvantages of each option can be discussed together prior to treatment.
For your free dental implant consultation in Bowmanville, contact our team members today at 905-697-1118
