{"id":375,"date":"2023-04-14T14:20:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T14:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/?p=375"},"modified":"2025-11-06T20:26:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T20:26:55","slug":"choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Get a Root Canal or Have Your Tooth Extracted?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg\" alt=\"Woman in a light grey shirt with tooth pain\" class=\"wp-image-376\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>You have a tooth that has been causing you a lot of pain lately, so you went to see your dentist. After checking your smile, they found that the tooth has been infected. At this point, you may not be sure what should come next. Should you have the tooth treated with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/root-canal-treatment.html\">root canal therapy<\/a>? Or would it be better to have it removed completely? The answer depends on the specifics of your situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is Root Canal Therapy the Right Choice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If the tooth in question is still salvageable, then root canal therapy will likely be your best option. With the root canal procedure, any infected tissue is removed from the tooth to prevent further damage to the dental structure. The treated tooth will be restored with a dental crown so that it remains strong enough to handle routine biting and chewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Root canal therapy is often the only way to save a tooth that would otherwise need to be extracted. Your mouth functions at its best when you have a full set of natural teeth, so it\u2019s always recommended to do what you can to avoid ending up with a gap in your grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When is Tooth Extraction the Right Choice?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a bit of a trick question because most dentists will only suggest a tooth extraction when there\u2019s no longer any real choice. In some cases, a tooth might be so badly infected or so severely damaged that it can\u2019t be repaired. Teeth that are beyond saving need to be removed for the sake of your oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember that if you have a tooth extracted, you don\u2019t want to leave the space where it used to be empty for too long. Doing so could put you at risk for dental issues such as the remaining teeth drifting out of place. You should get a replacement such as a bridge or a dental implant as soon as you can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Will You Know If You Need Root Canal Therapy or a Tooth Extraction?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Is root canal therapy still viable, or is tooth extraction the only option remaining? To know for sure, you\u2019ll need to talk to your dentist. They can take X-rays and perform a thorough examination of your mouth to determine the state of your tooth. Once they understand your situation and the full extent of the damage, they can help you figure out what type of treatment you need to protect your smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>At Water\u2019s Edge Dental, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/meet-dr-rolfes.html\">Dr. Mike Rolfes<\/a> treats patients in the Port Orange community with experience and expertise, providing comprehensive care all under one roof. He places and restores dental implants in-house, so you don\u2019t need to work with an outside provider. To learn more about dental implants or to schedule a consultation, visit his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/contact.html\">website<\/a> or call (386) 516-4351.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You have a tooth that has been causing you a lot of pain lately, so you went to see your dentist. After checking your smile, they found that the tooth has been infected. At this point, you may not be sure what should come next. Should you have the tooth treated with root canal therapy? [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Root Canal or Tooth Extraction Port Orange | Water&#039;s Edge Dental<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your dentist just told you that you have an infected tooth. What is the right solution: root canal therapy or tooth extraction?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Root Canal or Tooth Extraction Port Orange | Water&#039;s Edge Dental\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Your dentist just told you that you have an infected tooth. What is the right solution: root canal therapy or tooth extraction?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"dr_rolfes\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ae3de9c07de248908e343533e666d6e\"},\"headline\":\"Should You Get a Root Canal or Have Your Tooth Extracted?\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-14T14:20:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-06T20:26:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":489,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/\",\"name\":\"Root Canal or Tooth Extraction Port Orange | Water's Edge Dental\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-14T14:20:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-06T20:26:55+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ae3de9c07de248908e343533e666d6e\"},\"description\":\"Your dentist just told you that you have an infected tooth. What is the right solution: root canal therapy or tooth extraction?\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg\",\"width\":300,\"height\":200},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Should You Get a Root Canal or Have Your Tooth Extracted?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Water&#039;s Edge Dental Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.smiledaytona.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ae3de9c07de248908e343533e666d6e\",\"name\":\"dr_rolfes\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Root Canal or Tooth Extraction Port Orange | Water's Edge Dental","description":"Your dentist just told you that you have an infected tooth. What is the right solution: root canal therapy or tooth extraction?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Root Canal or Tooth Extraction Port Orange | Water's Edge Dental","twitter_description":"Your dentist just told you that you have an infected tooth. What is the right solution: root canal therapy or tooth extraction?","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/"},"author":{"name":"dr_rolfes","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ae3de9c07de248908e343533e666d6e"},"headline":"Should You Get a Root Canal or Have Your Tooth Extracted?","datePublished":"2023-04-14T14:20:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-06T20:26:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/"},"wordCount":489,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/","url":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/","name":"Root Canal or Tooth Extraction Port Orange | Water's Edge Dental","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg","datePublished":"2023-04-14T14:20:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-06T20:26:55+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ae3de9c07de248908e343533e666d6e"},"description":"Your dentist just told you that you have an infected tooth. What is the right solution: root canal therapy or tooth extraction?","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_98639717-1.jpeg","width":300,"height":200},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/choosing-between-root-canal-and-tooth-extraction\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Should You Get a Root Canal or Have Your Tooth Extracted?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/","name":"Water&#039;s Edge Dental Blog","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/6ae3de9c07de248908e343533e666d6e","name":"dr_rolfes"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=375"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":859,"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/375\/revisions\/859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smiledaytona.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}