Root Canal vs Extraction: Costs, Pain & Advantages

People in Sydney and other areas often compare root canal vs extraction. After all, it’s a huge decision and there’s almost no turning back once a choice is made. That’s why people read everything they can before going to the dental clinic.

However, it’s best to ask the dentist first because your case might be a lot different compared to what you read online. Only the dentist can accurately determine if a tooth can still be saved.

Costs of tooth extraction and root canal

Before going to the dentist, you might want to get an idea about the pricing. In general, tooth extraction is less expensive than undergoing a root canal procedure. However, removal of a tooth might result to in higher costs later on.

That’s because shifting may occur among your remaining teeth to try to fill in the space. This could make you later decide to ask for a bridge, tooth implant or even a denture (which all require additional procedures and expenses). There are consequences to tooth extraction and you should be ready for that.

In contrast, root canal is like “saving” the tooth. The dentist will remove the dead or diseased pulp. The pulp chamber will then be cleaned and filled in with gutta-percha. You will still have the tooth and there are almost no unpleasant long-term consequences with successful root canal treatment

The pain

“I’d rather do this than undergo the root canal procedure.” It’s not necessarily a painful and discomforting procedure. In fact many patients report to falling asleep during root canal therapy. Many people still prefer this though because they don’t want to lose the tooth. In addition, it could be a lot more uncomfortable to undergo a tooth extraction and tooth implant afterwards.

To help alleviate the pain, dentists usually apply a local anaesthetic. It blocks the pain signal which will make the patient feel a bit comfortable during the procedure. This can further motivate the patients to choose root canal over extraction.

Root canal vs extraction Sydney

Dentists might give you the option whether to go for tooth removal or just root canal. In most cases, root canal can be more beneficial. When you go for tooth extraction, you might then need to have an artificial tooth (which can feel unnatural and uncomfortable). But with root canal, you save the tooth and probably avoid more costly procedures later on.

It’s still up to the dentists’ evaluation which procedure to choose. If you need more information regarding this, contact us here at Kissing Point Dental. Our goal is to make each experience as comfortable as possible.