Root Canal Alternatives  Changing Your View Of Root Canals

Root canal alternatives are few. Sorry, but that’s the way it is if you have an abscessed tooth causing pain.

Most people are saddened to hear that there are few options when seeking toothache relief. Endodontic treatment, more commonly known as a root canal, is often the only option if the tooth is to be saved.

If you go to the dentist with an abscessed tooth you will most likely be faced with two options:

• Endodontic treatment (root canal)
• Extraction

When it comes to saving your natural tooth there really aren’t any root canal alternatives if you have an abscessed tooth.

There’s one question I’ve been asked hundreds if not thousands of times over the past 20+ years of performing root canal treatments. The question is, “Can’t I just take an antibiotic?”

You may get some toothache relief from antibiotics. But eventually your pain will return. 

When you have an abscessed tooth you have bacteria trapped on the inside of the roots. To get rid of these bacteria you need a root canal treatment.

Alternatives to endodontic therapy just don’t exist short of extracting the tooth.

Endodontic treatment and extraction accomplish the same goal, elimination of these bacteria from the inside of the tooth. The difference is that with a root canal treatment you are able to save your tooth.

With virtually no root canal alternatives, people often will choose to have their tooth extracted. Here are some of the myths that lead people to make this decision:

• Endodontic treatment costs more.
• Root canals hurt more.
• Extractions are easier.
• Root canals don’t work.

Since there really aren’t any root canal alternatives let’s dispel these myths and save your tooth:

Myth #1: Endodontic treatment costs more. On the day of your treatment this is no myth. A root canal will cost more than an extraction.

This is especially true when you consider that you may need a crown after your root canal. All of a sudden your abscessed tooth gets very expensive and doesn’t seem worth the expense.

However, if you take a long-term perspective it might actually be less expensive to save your tooth. When you start having teeth extracted your remaining teeth begin to shift.

You can spend a significant amount of money later when you start replacing missing teeth after your other teeth have shifted.

Myth #2: Root canals hurt more. The words “you need a root canal” evoke great fear and anxiety.. That’s why I wrote The Relaxed Root Canal.

Your dentist will anesthetize your tooth so the procedure is typically performed with little or no discomfort. The day after treatment it is much more common to have pain from an extraction than a root canal treatment.

Myth #3: Extractions are easier.  Many people want to know what is the easier of the root canal alternatives: extraction or root canal. Sometimes this is asked out of frustration for quick toothache relief.

It is true that an extraction can usually be accomplished in less time than a root canal treatment. But again, saving the tooth when possible is best in the long-term.

Also, endodontic treatment is much easier and quicker than it was in years past. Many times treatment can be completed in a single visit with very little or no discomfort the following day.

Myth #4: Root canals don’t work. The reality is that root canals enjoy close to a 95% success rate. Unfortunately, those 5% that fail get talked about more than those that are successful.

What about those painless root canal alternatives?

You might read about some other ways of treating abscessed teeth in order to save them from endodontic treatment. These are usually temporary measures at best.

For example, the pulpotomy procedure will eliminate the inflamed pulp of the tooth without completing the root canal. You will have temporary relief but the root canal treatment must be completed to prevent an abscessed tooth from developing.

In The Relaxed Root Canal  I answer over 80 questions that are commonly asked about root canals.

You should get a yes answer to this question. I'll give you my recommendation for what to do if you get a no answer.

For more information CLICK HERE.

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