Can Root Canals Always Save Your Teeth?

Your dentist will always take every step possible to save your natural teeth. Restoring a damaged or infected tooth to health prevents unnecessary tooth extractions, saves you from preventable invasive procedures, eliminates the risk of complications during invasive procedures and means you’ll never have to consider having an extracted tooth replaced down the road (at considerable expense and inconvenience). 

Undergoing root canal therapy near you is, in most cases, a highly effective step for eliminating serious infections inside teeth and preventing unnecessary tooth infections. As your dentist will explain, there are some situations that make root canal procedures a much more problematic option. 

There are several factors that make it more difficult for a dentist in NW Calgary to perform a successful root canal procedure. An endodontist who has carefully reviewed the condition of your jaw and teeth — including detailed dental images — to identify any of these potentially complicating circumstances. If there are issues present that may recommend against a root canal, your endodontist will recommend alternatives to undergoing root canal therapy in NW Calgary.

If your teeth have unusually long or curved roots, the canals of your teeth may be exceptionally difficult to clean even with specialized tools. A root canal performed on exceptionally long or curved roots is less likely to be a permanent solution for interior tooth infections.

If you have a crack in the root of the tooth being treated, infection may penetrate the tooth through that cracked root even after you undergo root canal therapy near you and receive a crown to protect your tooth from the biting surface to your gum line. A tooth that is reinfected may require a second root canal treatment or extraction. (In some cases, a cracked root is discovered before a root canal is conducted. In other situations, that crack may not be discovered until after a dentist near you conducts an investigation into the causes of a reinfected tooth.)

If you have advanced periodontal disease, undergoing root canal therapy near you is much less likely to be successful. If the original issue in your mouth was a tooth infection that spread into your gums, it may be possible for a dentist near you to conduct a successful root canal and immediately to treat your gum disease. On the other hand, if the infection began in your gums before affecting the interior of your tooth, the situation is much more severe. In that case, so much bone matter may already have been lost to your periodontal disease that performing a successful root canal procedure may be impossible. 

If you have previously undergone a root canal and that root canal fails, the likelihood of a successful second root canal or apicoectomy procedure is much lower. 

If you’ve just waited too long to undergo a root canal, i.e. if your infection has become too severe, then performing a root canal procedure may simply be impossible. If the deepest layers of pulp in your teeth have become infected, an extraction may be the only option left for saving your jaw from the spread of a serious infection. If so much matter above your gum line has been lost due to the infection and tooth decay that a crown will not be able to support and protect the tooth, an extraction — and future tooth replacement — may be the last option available. 

If any of these factors are present in your case, your dentist will recommend alternative treatments to eliminate the risks to your health and to restore your fullest possible dental function.