“Is it better to have root canal or extraction?”

Only if you are putting an implant in that spot. You need all your teeth to distribute the force or the rest start breaking down.

It is ALWAYS better to save a functional tooth assuming it has adequate bone support. The idea that an implant is better than a natural tooth is false. Most importantly if you remove a tooth that is functional, you must maintain the space and replace the missing tooth ASAP because the opposing and surrounding teeth with start to collapse into the space and eventually cause the loss of additional teeth.

Do you normally consult your friend for medical and dental problems? Your best source for information about those kinds of issues is a professional who is licensed to diagnose and treat your problems. If a tooth is in reasonably good health, root canal treatment is usually best. If not, extraction and implant placement may be a good option

Unless your friend is a dentist, absolutely wrong. If you can save the tooth, then save it, it will not grow again.

While it may be necessary sometimes to have a tooth extracted, it is always advisable and in the patient's best dental health to try to retain any functional tooth. Extraction of teeth leads to needing other forms of dental treatment and restoration.

Unfortunately that is a very individual and complex question. There are times when even with root canal therapy the tooth is or would be so severely compromised it would serve you better to have it extracted. Hopefully you have a dentist you can trust that will explain all the advantages and disadvantages of both options. If the question is "does root canal therapy work" to avoid extracting a tooth. All research shows a very high long term rate of success when done by a competent provider. If you have the tooth removed you need to consider if you are going to leave the space or what you will do to replace the tooth. If replacing the tooth involves cutting two teeth not needing work, you are using a three tooth solution to solve a one tooth problem. Find a dentist you can trust and ask them to explain what they recommend and why.

Saving your tooth is better than losing a tooth. However if the tooth cannot be saved you need to extract it.

As with anything, there are variables. Literally dozens when it comes to endodontics vs. extractions. If you want a fast answer with no patient or tooth history, etc., I would say extraction and then implant or bridge or removable prosthetic to replace depending on your budget. However, a root canal can be and sometimes is a better choice.

Dr. J

Complicated question. The answer depends on the periodontal health of the tooth (how much bone/gum around the tooth), the age of the patient, the ability to pay for the implant/crown vs the RCT/restoration, the amount of time the patient wants to allow for the treatment, the location of the questionable tooth.

The short answer is it depends on the tooth and the reason it needs a root canal. All of your teeth are there for a reason, when you start extracting teeth, the other teeth start to take on more pressure and then this can cause a lot more problems. Further, your bone around your teeth is unique more than any other bone in your body. The bone around your teeth is only there to support your tooth. Also, teeth that are next to each other share the same bone. If you extract a tooth, the bone will go away and once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. Further teeth like to be touching where you floss your teeth and opposing each other where you chew your food. If you extract a tooth then the bone goes away, the teeth start looking for something to touch and chew up against, this causes the whole bite to collapse and the only way to realign the teeth is braces. So if you are able to do a root canal, I would to maintain your bite, bone and alignment of your teeth. If you decide to extract the tooth, then you need to restore the space with a an implant, bridge or partial which are all more expense options than a root canal. Even if the root canal fails later down the road, then you’ve keep the integrity of your bite, bone and alignment for a longer period of time. But remember, whenever you do a root canal, you always want to place a crown on the tooth. After a root canal, the tooth won’t be strong enough and can break and then you will have to extract the tooth. If you decide to extract the tooth and do nothing, the bone will go away, the bite collapses and there is only a small period of time that you have to place an implant. So the only option you may have down the road is a removable denture or partial denture. I hope this helped make your own educated decision.

Generally speaking, it is best to retain your natural teeth. Nothing feels or functions quite like a tooth. Root canal therapy can help restore your dental health and help your tooth last for a lifetime.

However, sometimes the damage to your tooth is so severe that an extraction is necessary. In these cases, I recommend extraction and replacement with an implant or dental bridge.