Why Have A Root Canal?

The are a few reasons why root canal treatment rather than extraction should be considered.

• Cosmetic
  If the tooth that is damaged is in the front and extraction will cause a defect in the smile. For many of us having a gap in our smile is unacceptable, as is the idea of wearing a denture. Even those of us with unsightly teeth may find the prospect of a missing tooth unbearable.
• Functional
  If a back tooth, or molar, is lost then there may be a significant loss of chewing ability. This will impact on the existing teeth as they have to bear more load, a common scenario is when a left molar is lost, all chewing then takes place on the right leading to loss of a right molar due to wear and tear or decay due to poor care and overuse!
• Restorative
  It may be that the tooth requiring the root canal is one that is needed for as a support tooth for a bridge replacing other teeth! In which case saving the tooth may prove to be the only way a strong bridge may be placed.