Should I Save This Tooth or Replace It
With An Implant?
One of the most common questions we find our patients face
in regards to saving or losing single teeth is whether or not they should spend
their hard earned money (and their time) on doing (or re-doing) a root canal in
order to save the tooth or if they should just remove the tooth and replace it
with an implant. If you are, or if you
have faced this decision you likely know exactly what I am talking about.
There are several factors involved in making this kind of
decision. On this post I will attempt to
address some of them in simple terms.
Longevity
“Which one will last longer . . . a root canal and a crown
or removing the tooth and replacing it with an implant?”
If a root canal has never been done on this tooth before and
a root canal is now needed research has shown that either doing a root canal
and placing a crown on it or removing the tooth and placing an implant can both
last a long, long time. However, if a
root canal has been done previously and needs to be done again it will likely
not last as long as an implant would.
One important factor with longevity is whether or not a
crown is placed on your tooth after the root canal is done. Research shows that if a root canal is done
on a back tooth and a crown is not placed on the tooth you are six times more
likely to have the tooth break. If this
happens you may not have a choice but to remove the tooth and place an implant. Bottom Line: If you choose to do a root canal
on a back tooth in order to save the tooth, put a crown on the tooth within one
month of having the root canal done.
Cost
Neither doing a root canal and a crown nor removing a tooth
and placing an implant are inexpensive.
On average, if you are going to do a root canal and a crown you will
spend between $1500 and $2200. To remove
the tooth and replace it with an implant you will spend somewhere between $3000
and $3500.
Health of the Tooth
In our experience this has been one of the most important
factors in determining how successful a root canal and a crown will be. If a lot of the tooth has broken or if there
is a large cavity in the tooth there will not be very much of the tooth left
for the crown to hold on to. And if
there is minimal healthy tooth structure left the crown will likely break off
of the tooth after the root canal has been done. When this happens usually the only option you
have left is to remove the tooth and replace it with an implant.
Overall Physical
Health
In some cases your health may determine which treatment to
pursue. There are certain physical
conditions that make it ill-advised to remove any teeth and place
implants. In these cases you may have no
choice but to try to save the tooth by doing a root canal and a crown.
These physical health conditions are best evaluated by your
dentist at the Barry Family Dental Group.
Before considering removing any tooth or any other surgical procedure we
will conduct a thorough questioning of your physical health to determine
whether you are healthy enough for the procedures required for dental implants.
Personal Preference
How attached, emotionally, are you to this tooth? Are you the kind of person who wants to keep
every single tooth for as long as possible no matter what the cost or the
hassle you must go through? Or, are you
the kind of person who simply wants the least expensive treatment possible with
the best result possible? Does the
thought of a root canal bother you? What
about oral surgery?
In making this decision this is likely the single most
influential driving factor in making this decision. How attached are you to your teeth?
Conclusion
There are many things to consider in deciding whether a
tooth should be removed or saved. If you
or a loved one are currently facing this decision please call us and set up a
consultation appointment with one of our Dentists. We would be happy to provide you with
information and recommendations to help you with this important decision.
Dr. David Barry, DMD
Dr. David Barry, DMD
