Treatment options to having root canal therapy.

While there is no type of dental work that's directly comparable to having root canal treatment, you do have some options available to you when making a decision about what to ultimately do with your tooth. They include:

• Delay your root canal treatment. - After discussing matters with your dentist, you may find that your tooth's treatment can be postponed until a time frame that is more convenient or affordable for you.
• Have your tooth extracted. - While seeming the cheapest and easiest fix, this may turn out to be the worst option over the long haul.
• Have your tooth extracted and then replaced using a dental bridge or removable partial denture. - This is the traditional alternative to having root canal therapy performed. And this approach can provide a very suitable outcome.
  
• Extract the tooth and have a dental implant placed. - This is an option that didn't exist just a few decades ago. Nowadays it's so often the decision being made that we've dedicated a number of pages specifically to this topic.

Just having a tooth extracted (and not replaced) is typically a poor choice.

The simplicity of having a tooth extracted might seem to be an attractive choice in comparison to the cost and effort involved with salvaging it via the use of root canal treatment. But this solution is unlikely to be the best, or even the cheapest, choice over the long run.

Once a tooth is removed, its neighboring teeth will tend to drift into its vacant space, sometimes significantly so. And this type of tooth shifting can lead to problems with a person's chewing ability, jaw joint function and appearance.

Tooth shifting can also result in the formation of food and debris traps or generally make it more difficult for a person to clean their teeth. Either of these outcomes can place the person at greater risk for experiencing tooth decay and gum disease.

Extraction and subsequent tooth replacement can be a good choice.

Electing to have a tooth extracted instead of root canalled can be an appropriate choice if you plan to have the missing tooth replaced.

However, while this approach can provide a stable, long-lasting end result, replacing an extracted tooth (via the use of either a dental bridge, removable partial, or implant) can easily cost as much (and usually more) than just saving the tooth with root canal treatment (including the cost of placing a new dental restoration on it).

[ Curious about how much different types of dental procedures cost? Use this link. ]

Make sure you know what you're getting.

While an extraction-with-replacement approach can certainly make a suitable alternative to root canal treatment, make sure that you ask your dentist a lot of questions about this treatment plan before choosing it.

Saving a tooth is a way of preserving the status quo. Any type of replacement tooth will, at least in some way, be different than what you have now. Know what you're getting before you make a decision.

If you do choose this approach, here are some of the different ways a missing tooth can be replaced.

» A removable partial denture.

Of all of the options that are available, replacing a missing tooth with a removable partial denture is probably the least favorable one. Compared to the tooth that it replaces, a partial will be cumbersome and probably considered to be a "mouth full." Some people may find its removable nature to be a nuisance. Over the long term, a partial can create a wedging or loosening effect on the wearer's teeth.

The cost of a partial may possibly be less than that of having root canal treatment. But other than that, most people would probably prefer to have their original tooth instead of wearing a removable partial denture.

» A dental bridge.

Placing a dental bridge is another way a dentist can replace a patient's missing tooth. Keep in mind however, when a bridge is made, the teeth on either side of the missing tooth's space are trimmed down (just like for a dental crown). This means that replacing one tooth involves making irreversible changes with two other, previously uninvolved, teeth.

It's unlikely that the cost of a dental bridge will be less than restoring a tooth with root canal treatment. And although a dental bridge is cemented in place and therefore feels solid like a natural tooth, the patient will find this artificial tooth more difficult to clean (especially flossing).

» A dental implant.

A dental implant can provide an end result that is fairly similar to having one's original tooth, but this treatment approach is typically not as cost-effective as salvaging a tooth with root canal treatment. Our topic "Placing a dental implant or having root canal treatment: Which is the best choice?" discusses the advantages and disadvantages of this option in detail.

It may be possible to delay your root canal treatment until a time that's more favorable for you.

In those cases where endodontic therapy is needed, it is always best to go ahead and make plans to have it performed, sooner rather than later. However, in some cases a patient's treatment must be delayed because of travel, scheduling conflicts, the need for other dental work, or else financial considerations.

Temporizing the tooth.

Delays such as these can typically be managed, at least to some degree. A dentist can usually temporize a tooth by performing the initial steps of root canal treatment (the ones that can make it so your tooth feels better).

This temporization stage needs to be considered just that, temporary. Your dentist will need to outline for you what time frame they consider appropriate before your treatment must be resumed. They must also discuss those precautions you need to take, and explain the signs and symptoms that may indicate that changes are occurring within your tooth. Temporization is never a first choice but rather a make-do one.

Only delay treatment after discussing things with your dentist.

You should not make a decision to delay root canal treatment on your own. You need to discuss this matter with your dentist. Any tooth that is in need of root canal treatment, but has not yet received it, is not predictable. A tooth could remain asymptomatic for an indefinite period or, at the other extreme, could abscess (cause pain, produce swelling) at any time.

Even in those cases where a tooth remains quiet, the infection associated with the tooth could cause damage to the bone that surrounds it. And teeth that have more established infections can be less responsive to treatment. Discuss matters with your dentist. Let them explain to you what they would consider a reasonable time window for the treatment of your tooth.