Your teeth are very precious. They allow you to eat, speak, and share your happiness with others when you smile. It is hard to put a price on the value of your natural teeth, but it is safe to say that these are some of the most valuable possessions you own. Unfortunately, life gets the best of us at times and we can start slipping in our oral care and diet. This can lead to tooth decay and ultimately a toothache, indicating that your tooth may be dead and in need of immediate care. For some individuals, there isn’t a choice. Finances dictate that the tooth will need to be pulled and they will be left with a gap and shrinking bone levels. If you are able to afford a root canal, then Dr. Jenson and most dentists would greatly encourage you to spend the money. It will make a great difference in your life.
By getting a root canal, you can save your natural tooth, preventing extraction and a costly implant or bridge later. It may be tempting to look at the price difference between a simple tooth extraction versus a root canal and the need for a subsequent crown, but don’t forget that by choosing an extraction, you are also choosing to pay with your quality of life. If you always choose to extract, you eventually will be left with fewer and fewer teeth. This will affect you in social settings and also while you eat.
If you are thinking to yourself, I’ll just get the extraction now and get an implant placed later when I have more money, you may be disappointed to find out that the bone levels in your mouth have shrunk so much that you will now need a costly bone graft procedure, which will ultimately cost more. In addition to this, a dental implant is still not the same as your natural tooth. Our natural teeth give us a sensory connection to our jaw muscles, helping us prevent damaging our teeth and jaw.
Whatever your situation is, it is almost always better when given the choice between a root canal and an extraction to go for a root canal. It’s worth the sacrifice. If you live in Orem, Provo, or the Utah County region and you think that you may have a tooth that needs root canal therapy, please call Cascade Endodontics today so Dr. Jenson can take a look.