People talk about root canal alternatives as if there are alternatives. There are not. You might, then, be quite puzzled as to the topic of this article. It will actually show you that your "alternatives" are not something you want any more than you want a root canal.

A Root Canal Treatment Saves the Tooth You Have 

The reason why your dentist wants to do a root canal is that part of the tooth is utterly dead, and your dentist wants to save the rest of the tooth, which is still alive. Your dentist drills down into the dead roots of the tooth, removes all of the dead tissue in the dead roots, and then fills the dead roots with dental cement. The living roots of that same tooth are untouched and unaffected by the procedure. As such, the tooth as a whole is saved, and massive infection in your gums and jawbone are prevented. 

The First "Alternative"

The first alternative to a root canal is pulling the tooth entirely. Since nerves and blood vessels still travel into the parts of the affected tooth, this is much more painful and much more damaging than a root canal. In fact, the dead root(s) of the tooth has no pain at all. All the dentist would be doing is filling in the dead roots with dental cement after removing the rotten pit material from the dead root(s). Your dentist just numbs your tooth to protect the living roots against pain while the procedure is performed. Of course, if you enjoy a lot of pain for several days, then go ahead and remove the tooth.

The Second "Alternative"

The second "alternative" is no better than the first. Not only do you have to pull the tooth, but now you also ask your dentist to fill that space with a dental implant. So, your options are A) your dentist either has to drill down into the dead root(s) and fill them, leaving the tooth intact and with minor pain, or B) your dentist yanks the tooth from its socket, drilling into the jawbone to install an abutment screw. Then you wait for a few weeks while this heals, and the dentist creates a fake implant crown. That adds up to weeks of pain, instead of a day or two for the root canal.

Sign up For Less Pain

There are not many people who would say, "Yes! Sign me up for MORE pain, please!" Usually, common sense dominates, and people choose the root canal. However, you can choose to sign up for as little or as much pain as you can handle. You do have a choice.

For more information on root canal treatment, contact your local dental office.