Keeping your natural tooth is always best, even if it has had a root canal. Read on to learn more about how endodontic therapy can help to retain the natural tooth. Thanks for visiting us at Mt. Juliet and Cookeville Endodontics.
The introduction of dental implants has proved to be a pivotal technology in dentistry. In a profession that strives to help patients keep their dentition, the point when it becomes necessary to opt for dental implants is a judgment call. Now, a new critical review published in the Journal of Dental Research comparing the long-term survival of implants and teeth that have been treated endodontically can help clinicians gain perspective on the two options (January 2014, Vol. 93:1, pp. 19-26).
“Both options should be seen as complementing each other, not as competing, and should serve the overall goal in dentistry, the long-term health and benefit of the patient, being least invasive and incorporating function, comfort, and esthetics,” the authors from the University of Pennsylvania wrote. “A tendency exists toward a simplified approach of ‘extraction and implant,’ but this is not always simple or ethical.”
Retention vs. replace
The researchers sought to examine the issue of “retention versus replace,” as well as endodontic therapy misconceptions, and analyze current endodontic treatment planning strategies for long-term success and tooth retention.
“Evidence exists that the loss rate of implants is higher than that of natural teeth in clinically well-maintained patients,” they wrote.
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