Dental implants vs Root canal (pros and cons)

A toothache is any kind of discomfort in or near your teeth, jaw, or gums. It can be a sign that you have a tooth or gum issue. It's crucial to determine the cause of your toothache if you experience one. You can then decide how to treat your teeth in the most effective way. Perhaps, you have heard about dental implants and root canal therapy(RCP). These methods are used for treating infected teeth or partially\fully damaged ones.

In the case of RCP, your orthodontist can save your tooth by emptying the infected pulp and superseding the space with an alternate material. If required, your dentist may suggest combining it with a crown.

Contrarily, the dental implant procedure envisages pulling an affected tooth and replacing it with an artificial one.

Are you hesitating between these two choices? Continue reading to compare them and decide which you like best.

Benefit rate

Only 1% of dental implants have an infection after installation, which is an incredibly low risk. Root canals are still very successful, but their success rates are not as high as those of implants. Due to the periodical necessity of repeating this treatment.

Despite getting an implant set is a more tricky and time-consuming process than obtaining a root canal, patients occasionally choose implants since they are resistant to deterioration, and can persist for many years.

Pain level

You don't have to experience any pain during either of these treatments thanks to current dental anesthetic and sedation dentistry. Both root canal therapy and dental implant insertion are relatively painless procedures.

Your treated tooth might feel a little bit more discomfort than it did when it was infected immediately after the anesthetic from your root canal procedure goes off. But after a day or two, the discomfort will diminish to a level lower than it was before the procedure.

Surgery for dental implants is a little less unpleasant. Since it is less than for tooth extraction, getting an implant placed at the same time as extraction is probably not going to cause you any more difficulty.

Price rate

The costliness of the dental implants (1,500$ to 2,000$ per implant) is explained by the high quality of the materials used during the treatment. And RCP is more affordable. Depending on the type of tooth the price ranges from 600$ to 1,500$.

Treatment time

A root canal requires three to five dentist visits. The root filling, the crown build-up (a fill for the top of the tooth), and a crown are required treatments. The entire process in the dental chair lasts between three and four hours. However, a dental implant requires three dental visits and one to two hours in the dental chair.

Recovery period

Recovery time is entirely dependent on your particular circumstance. Say, a root canal should only require 2-3 days of recovery time. The discomfort will pass very fast. And what about dental implants? Most people simply need one or two days to heal. Recovery time, however, may be extended if you require bone grafts or have several implant procedures conducted. Most recuperation times, if the latter is the case, last between one and two weeks.

The bottom line

Making sure your teeth are healthy and fully functional is the primary purpose you and your dentist share. Both treatment options accomplish such objectives. The ideal option for you will depend on your unique situation and the overall condition of the tooth.

In general, dentists aim to utilize the least invasive procedure that will fully fix the issue. A root canal is most likely the preferable procedure if your tooth is otherwise healthy and structurally good. They would probably suggest an implant in case the tooth damage became extremely severe.