Your teeth work in the toughest conditions imaginable for any part of your body. They work in either freezing to near-boiling temperatures, are susceptible to damaging acid 24/7, surrounded by massive numbers of bacteria, and regularly absorb forces amounting from 120 to 150 pounds per square inch. In addition, they’re expected to do so for as long as 70 years.

Yet, the extremely tough working conditions can, at times, take their toll on your pearly whites. Teeth are always compromised by trauma, decay, or even loss of the bone in the jaw which supports them. When that happens, teeth only have two ways to go: get saved (in a sense) via root canal, or be extracted and replaced entirely with dental implants. Before deciding to visit a trusty dentist in the San Diego area, there are a few considerations to ponder on.

Learning everything possible about the procedures in question is highly recommended. This can be done by obtaining written information on either a root canal or sturdy dental implants from a dentist in a Poway-area clinic such as A+ Family Dentistry, the American Dental Association (ADA), or the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOM). Both procedures differ greatly from one another, and it would be of great help to base expectations on sufficient information.

Next, considering personal need is also vital. There are a few ways to determine if you need either procedure. For instance, the need for a root canal can be hinted at by a few obvious symptoms: searing, recurring pain which feels like throbbing, gum tenderness or swelling, individually darkened teeth (a drastic discoloration may indicate potentially pathological changes happening inside the tooth), and obvious exposure of the tooth’s nerve. On the other end, implants are quite the last resort and are considered longer-lasting solutions.

Dental implants and root canals don’t exactly one-up each other, since they have significantly identical success rates, which point to the teeth’s longevity long after the procedure (meaning they retained their original positions and hadn’t rotated or needed further correction). Success rates are upwards of 98 to 99 percent, which proves that both procedures are promising in their own right.

In the end, it all comes down to your specific situation and needs, which will be determined mainly by a dentist. The bottom line is, it’s nice that you have two good options to save your pearly whites and keep them sparkling.

Sources:

Save A Tooth Or Get An Implant? DearDoctor.com

Five Things To Consider Before Getting Dental Implants, BestLincroftDentist.com

How Can You Tell If Your Tooth Needs Root Canal Treatment? Animated-Teeth.com

Root Canal Or Dental Implant? WebMD.com