Dental care is an integral part of a person’s overall health. Healthy teeth and gums are a sign that your body is functioning properly and is healthy. But a lot of times tooth infection can cause pain and people tend to overlook it by doing home remedies. Experts always suggest that if the pain persists, it is best to visit a dentist. Any delay in treatment can lead to tooth loss.
Tooth infections can be so painful and uncomfortable. The two most common ways to treat tooth infection are – tooth extraction or root canal treatment(RCT).
Many people seem confused between tooth extraction and Root Canal Treatment (RCT). What’s better getting the tooth removed or getting a procedure done? Read on to find more.
Tooth extraction or root canal treatment, what’s better?
Tooth extraction is a simple dental procedure that’s inexpensive and has no side effects. Once the tooth is extracted, there’s no way to fill that gap. So an artificial tooth or dental crown would be needed in that spot. Root canal is a procedure done to save a decaying tooth, in which the infected pulp and nerves are removed from the tooth. The root canals are then cleaned thoroughly and filled.
Dentists say that between extraction and Root Canal Treatment (RCT), the latter one is preferred. This is because it fixes your natural tooth so that it remains in place. In certain cases, if the tooth is too damaged or infected, the dentist might suggest extraction. But in normal cases of tooth infection root canal treatment is the best option.
Benefits of Root Canal Treatment (RCT)
- It is a cost effective and efficient procedure. The initial cost may be more than tooth extraction, but in the long run root canal treatment will prove to be cheaper than tooth extraction, dental implants and maintaining them.
- It gives virtually appealing results and the crown looks like your natural tooth itself.
- It is a painless procedure. The pain that’s caused is due to the infection. Once the dentist numbs the tooth, you won’t feel anything and the procedure would be completed easily.
- It doesn’t include any dentures or dental implants which mean once the treatment is done, you’re free!
Types of Root Canal Treatment (RCT)
It is obvious that parents become nervous and anxious when dentist recommends root canal treatment to their kids. There are so many myths around RCT that getting worried about it is natural.
There are 2 kinds of root canal treatments – pulpotomy and pulpectomy.
Pulpotomy
In pulpotomy, the affected part of the pulp is removed. This means that infected pulp is completely removed from the pulp chamber leaving healthy pulp tissues in the root.
Advantages –
- It keeps the pulp intact so that it helps in maturation of the tooth.
- It is faster and cheaper as compared to the other treatment.
Disadvantages –
- There are a chance that due to the presence of bacteria or infection, the treatment isn’t successful.
- Tooth treated with pulpotomy needs a stainless steel crown to be placed on top of the tooth for adequate strength.
Pulpectomy
The other root canal treatment that’s done in adults is pulpectomy. In this procedure, the entire infected pulp including the coronal and radical pulp are removed and later filled. This main advantage of this treatment is that it prevents tooth loss.
Advantages –
- It helps in retaining the tooth in the mouth which in turn helps to maintain the space between teeth.
- Provides relief from pain and restores normal functioning of the tooth.
Disadvantages –
- If any remnant of infected tissue is left inside the tooth, the chances of pain recurrence is high.
- If the tooth is not replaced with a crown there are chances of tooth discoloration because of the cement used.
Steps of root canal treatment
- The dentist will inject a small dose of anesthesia to numb the area around your tooth. Once its numbed, the dentist will isolate it to keep it clean during the procedure.
- Professional tools are used to access the area inside the tooth. An opening is created on top of the damaged part and diseased pulp is removed from the tooth.
- The canals are then cleaned and then the dentist will fill it with temporary filling.
- A crown will be fitted on top of the tooth and it’ll look almost like your natural tooth.