ROOT CANAL OR DENTAL IMPLANT – WHICH CHOICE IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Do you have an infected tooth that’s causing a lot of pain? Or do you have extensive tooth decay? I’m Dr. Alex Yen, dentist in Palo Alto CA . When a patient’s tooth becomes infected, we must decide whether to save the tooth by performing a root canal or to extract the tooth and then go for dental implants. At Blue Turtle Dental , our primary effort is always to save your natural tooth. This is our first choice for both health and cosmetic results. Ethically if the tooth is salvageable, we believe we should always save it and do the root canal treatment. Saving your natural tooth helps: Maintain efficient chewing Maintain normal biting force and avoid collapse of the bite Maintain natural structure of your jaw Limit the need for more costly, ongoing dental work However, sometimes the decay is so bad, the tooth cannot be saved. We have no choice but to extract it. The best choice to replace an extracted tooth is implant, which provides permanence and t...