Introduction
It is proved to be a major challenge to face clinicians regarding which treatment to take on a tooth affected by a pulpal or a periapical disease (Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry). They wonder whether to save it through endodontic treatment or extract and replace it with an implant to give peace to the patient. Although dentists may play a role in deciding on which treatment to take, the patient has to be allowed to make his/her final decision.
Factors affect treatment/ correction choice
Before any of these treatments is arrived at, there are some factors to be considered, which include patient-related issues- (general and oral health, comfort, and patient perceptions on the treatment). Other factors that should be considered are periodontium factors such as pulpal and periodontal conditions, the color of teeth, quality of bone, and the anatomy of soft tissues. It is also required that the clinician consider procedural complications and treatment outcomes that may be related to the type of treatment, as it’s proved that more than 95% of the dental implants and teeth which have undergone endodontic treatments survive and function properly (Lopez and Mathers 49).
Treatment Plan
The ultimate treatment plan must address the patient major complaints; thus, it should provide lasting, cost-effective treatment and deliver to the patients’ expectations at any time. Whenever deciding the treatment plan, the plan must be always patient-centered. The implication is that it should not be based on stakeholders’ benefits and clinical practitioners’ experience. The treatment must be based on scientific evidence and it should safeguard the biological aspects while restoring comfort and function. The patient, the tooth, and even periodontium are considerations that pertain to the decision making whether a tooth should be extracted or get treated through endodontic treatment (Lopez and Mathers 89).
Health status and feelings
The patient’s health is the most important aspect, and therefore, it’s important to consider whether the chosen type of treatment is appropriate, if there are risks associated with it, or what can lead to unexpected results such as treatment failure, or even death. A pulpal and periodontal condition indicate that endodontic treatment requires teeth with necrotic pulps and salvageable defects, and it can be contradicted if there are few remaining teeth structures. On the other hand, implants are used when teeth are incapable of being prepared with sufficient retention and resisting form (Naseem 19)
There are some patients who experience periodical diseases, or who are frustrated by the recurring tooth problem. In this case, endodontic treatment is highly discouraged, for it results in frustrations to both patient and practitioners, hence, it may be advisable to extract such a tooth and replace it with an implant. Additionally, the implant is the best option for patients who have problems with oral hygiene. To the tooth with unique color, it’s advisable for a practitioner to go for an endodontic treatment to retain the color and layout of the patient’s tooth (Naseem 18).
The quality of the bone surrounding the tooth roots affiant cuts effective tooth implant. This is because it requires bone grafting before doing an implant. Furthermore, bone quality affects tooth implant with bone type four, resulting in poor implant compared to bone type one, two, and three.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the decision on whether to retain or replace an existing tooth depends heavily on the outcome of the treatment. A clinician is supposed to undertake thorough assessment of information associated with risk factors for undertaking endodontic and implant treatments.
References
Lopez, Alan and Colin Mathers. Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors. World Bank Publications, 2006. Web.
Naseem, Shah. Oral and dental diseases: Causes, prevention and treatment strategies. National Centre for Macromolecular Hydrodynamics. Web. 2011.
Ontario Association of Public Health Dentistry. Early Childhood Tooth decay. . 2001. Web.