For many years, root canal therapy was the treatment of choice whenever dentists encountered patients with problems such as advanced dental decay. With root canal therapy, the dentist is able to preserve the patient's natural tooth by removing the unhealthy pulp and replacing it with a filler.

However, the introduction of dental implants has resulted in many dentists reconsidering their approach and many now recommend putting in implants instead of performing root canals. Why are implants considered a better option compared to root canals?

Aesthetics

One of the main challenges when it comes to any kind of dental treatment is aesthetics. Teeth play a prominent role in how an individual looks, and any dental treatment that doesn't offer a result that's close to the real thing can affect aesthetics.

This is one area in which the advantage of implants becomes obvious since implants look much closer to real teeth compared to any other tooth replacement option. In fact, many people aren't able to tell the difference between implants and real teeth. The same can't be said about root canals.

Durability

Another issue that many patients and dentists will have with root canals is that this procedure might simply be postponing the inevitable. Some root canals have to be redone several years later. In other cases, the tooth on which the root canal is performed later has to be extracted and replaced by an implant.

Although the idea of preserving your real tooth appeals to many, the reality is that root canals may not last as long as you'd want. Even if you opt for a root canal now, you may still have to get an implant in the future.

Implants, on the other hand, can easily last for the rest of your life. This means that getting implants could easily be a one-time investment that you won't have to ever revisit.

Low Infection Rate

Another major issue with dental procedures is that many have been known to fail after some time. Infections tend to be a major cause of the failure of these procedures. When it comes to the issue of infection, implants are noted for their relatively low infection rates. This is a major contributor to the success of these procedures.

Root canals, on the other hand, although successful in many cases, still have a higher rate of failure due to infections and challenges in finding all the canals in multi-rooted teeth.

For more information about dental implants and to learn if they are right for you, contact a company like Centre Family Dentistry.