It can be intimidating for anyone to face up to tooth decay. Whether your mouth is beginning to hurt or you’ve just been putting off a procedure for a while, neither a tooth extraction nor a root canal is an easy procedure to schedule.

Here, we’ll look at how dentists in Athens, TX use these procedures to restore your oral health and give you a few core facts so you can better predict which one you need.

Tooth Extraction vs. Root Canal: What to Know

Put simply, you need a tooth extraction in Athens if your tooth has severely deteriorated. If a dentist can still save the structure, they’ll do a root canal to clean out the pulp and the nerve of the tooth, and then (usually) put a crown on the tooth to reinforce the natural tooth. This is because your tooth is inherently weakened after undergoing a root canal. However, if you need a root canal on a front tooth, you may not need a crown.

Why It Matters

As a general rule, you don’t want to get your tooth extracted if there’s a chance to save it. This will immediately weaken your oral health, and may only get worse if you don’t either get a bridge or an implant to replace it. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to need an extraction.

It might make you feel a little better to hear that tooth extractions and root canals have come a very long way over the past few decades. Neither procedure is particularly painful, especially if you visit a reputable dentist.

If you have questions about the best procedure for you, contact Athens Smiles for a consultation. No matter what the outcome is, it’s always better to do something than nothing.