Root Canals Just as Effective as Dental Implants

Root Canals Just as Effective as Dental Implants
Dr. Guerra Recommends Saving Natural Teeth When Possible

For Patients torn between the best way to treat a compromised tooth, the choice just got clearer. A recent systematic review comparing two of the most common treatment options- root canals and implants- found virtually equal success, or survival rates, between both treatments. However, despite this similarity, it was concluded that the priority should always be to preserve the natural tooth before extracting and replacing with an implant. Root canal treatment saves more than 17 million teeth a year.
The results of the treatment analysis were published by The International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants, the official publication of the Academy of Osseo integration, an organization committed to advancing dental implants. The Academy also published a consensus statement developed by experts from several dental disciplines that supports the comparison’s findings and stresses the importance of patient-specific considerations.
There are several notable differences between the two procedures. Dental implants require extracting the tooth followed by surgery to insert a metal post in the jaw and affix a porcelain crown to the post. This procedure can take three or more visits to complete and can be timely and costly. During root canal treatment, the source of tooth pain- inflamed pulp- is removed and the inside of the tooth is then cleaned, filled and sealed. In Dr. Guerra’s office, most root canals can be completed in one visit and are virtually painless.