Root Canal or Dental Implant?
The short answer.
Root canal therapy keeps your natural tooth, but a treated tooth can later crack or need retreatment. An implant replaces the tooth entirely. Your dentist recommends one based on the damage, your oral health and your jawbone.
Oral decay, fractures, or an injury to your tooth can cause permanent damage, requiring extensive treatment to repair. Dental implants and root canal therapy are effective restorative treatments for severely damaged teeth. Depending on the extent of the damage, your oral health, and the condition of your jawbone, your dentist may recommend a tooth implant vs a root canal.
At Dental Spot, we provide root canal therapy and dental implants at our Croydon practice (we even have a lab on-site), ensuring you can get the dental treatment you need to restore your oral health. One of our dentists can examine your mouth and answer your questions before recommending treatment.
Root Canal Therapy
Root canal treatment involves extracting infected pulp from the inside of a tooth. After numbing the area around the tooth to be treated, your dentist makes a small hole in the tooth’s crown using a high-speed burr. Then they remove the infected pulp using endodontic files.
Once your dentist clears the canals of infected pulp, they coat the site with a topical antibiotic to prevent reinfection. Your dentist seals the exposed tooth with a natural latex called gutta-percha to stop bacteria from food or drinks from penetrating the tooth’s surface.
You will be given a temporary filling until the infection subsides, and you can revisit our practice for either a permanent non-metal filling or a dental crown.
Dental Implants
Your dentist may prescribe dental implants if the tooth cannot be saved with root canal therapy and needs to be extracted. A 2019 review of studies that followed implants for ten years found about 96 in 100 were still in place (another site) (Howe, Keys and Richards, Journal of Dentistry, 2019).
Dental implant treatment occurs in several stages, usually over a few months, and longer if you need a bone graft first. During your initial consultation, your dentist takes X-rays and digital scans to determine the thickness and density of your jawbone and the health of your gums.
After the extraction, you may need to wait between two and three months before the dental implant can be placed. This allows the site to heal and the tissue to regenerate before implant placement.
During surgery for dental implants, your dentist incises the gum tissue to expose the bone and drills a small hole into the jaw. They then place a titanium screw in the bone, which acts as a tooth root to anchor the dental restoration.
Once the dental implant is surgically implanted in your jaw, there is a three to six-month healing process that allows the dental implant post to fuse with the jawbone, a process called osseointegration.
After stabilising the dental implant, your dentist schedules another minor surgery to place the abutment. This procedure requires a two to three week healing period, after which your dentist takes impressions to create a dental crown to restore the look and functionality of your smile.
Implant vs Root Canal: Risks and Benefits
In most cases, your dentist recommends tooth conserving treatment to preserve as much of the natural tooth as possible. However, there are several instances when this may not be the right option. Some of the risks and benefits of dental implants include:
Long-term oral health improvement
While root canal therapy offers a temporary solution to severely damaged teeth, it can leave the tooth prone to cracking or breakage, which may result in an extraction.
Dental implants offer a long-term tooth replacement solution. The dental implant is designed to last many years, while the crown on top may need replacing over time.
Cost-effective treatment
Root canal therapy is an effective treatment for an infected or severely traumatised tooth. However, you may need retreatment if the first is unsuccessful, weakening your tooth over time. The premolar and molars have several pulp chambers, and in rare cases, your dentist may miss one if it is hidden behind another.
Dental implants can be more cost-effective long-term because they last longer than other restorative dental treatments and need fewer repairs, replacements, or repeat treatments.
Strong, durable materials
Dental implants are made from durable biocompatible materials, including titanium and zirconia ceramic (another site). These materials can withstand intense bite pressure, allowing you to eat and speak as normal.
How do the costs compare?
Costs depend on your tooth and your case. A full root canal treatment usually involves several appointments and often a crown afterwards. An implant is priced in three parts: the implant, the abutment that joins it to the tooth, and the crown. Fees depend on the treatment you need, so we give you an accurate quote at your consultation, before anything starts.
Talk to Us
Your dentist can help you decide whether a tooth implant or root canal therapy is right for you.
Sources
This guide is general information, not advice about your own teeth. Your dentist can tell you what applies to you, including the risks of any treatment.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
