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Should retention of a tooth be an important goal of dentistry? How do you decide whether to retain and restore a tooth requiring endodontic treatment or to extract and if possible replace the tooth?
Author(s) -
Zachar Jessica J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian endodontic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.703
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1747-4477
pISSN - 1329-1947
DOI - 10.1111/aej.12102
Subject(s) - dentistry , root canal , medicine , dilemma , orthodontics , epistemology , philosophy
Whether a questionable tooth should be treated endodontically or extracted, is still a dilemma clinicians encounter every day. With advances in technology such as implantology, deciding whether or not to save a tooth is still not clear. Local site‐specific factors and patient‐related factors that may affect the longevity of a particular tooth should be considered in preparing the treatment plan. Long‐term success rates for root canal therapy and implant‐supported crowns demonstrate similar outcomes. A choice between these alone is not sufficient in the decision‐making process. Only following a systematic evaluation of the reasons for and against tooth retention as directed by each individual case, can the best option be decided.