Root Canal or Extraction: Which Is Right for You?

Dr. Chinmay H. Patel, MDS

When a tooth is badly infected, you usually have two choices: save it with a root canal, or remove it. Pulling the tooth can feel like the quick, cheap option, but it is rarely that simple. Here is how to think about the decision.

Saving the tooth is almost always better

Nothing works as well as your natural tooth. A root canal removes the infection and keeps the tooth in place, so your bite, your chewing and the neighbouring teeth all stay as they were. A well-done root canal can last for many years.

What extraction really costs

Taking the tooth out is fast, but the gap does not stay still. The teeth beside it drift, the opposite tooth over-erupts, and the jawbone under the gap shrinks. Replacing the tooth properly with an implant or bridge usually costs more, and takes longer, than saving it would have.

When extraction is the right call

Sometimes a tooth genuinely cannot be saved, for example when the root is cracked or too little structure is left. In those cases an honest specialist will tell you, and help you plan a good replacement rather than push a treatment that will not last.

Get a specialist opinion first

Before agreeing to remove a tooth, it is worth a second opinion from an endodontist. With 3D imaging and magnification, many teeth that look hopeless can still be saved.