Do I really need a root canal, or should I just take it out?
It is the question we are asked most, and the honest answer is that keeping the tooth is almost always the better outcome — but not always, and it is worth unde...
Treatment
24 August 2026
2 min read
By Dr. Faith Wanjiru
It is the question we are asked most, and the honest answer is that keeping the tooth is almost always the better outcome — but not always, and it is worth understanding why.
A root canal treats the inside of the tooth. When decay or trauma reaches the nerve, that tissue becomes infected and will not recover on its own. We remove it, disinfect the canals, seal them, and then restore the tooth — usually with a crown, because a treated tooth is more brittle than a living one.
Extraction is quicker and cheaper on the day. The cost arrives later. Teeth either side of a gap drift into it, the opposing tooth over-erupts, and the bone that once held the root begins to resorb. Replacing that tooth properly with a bridge or an implant costs considerably more than the root canal would have.
There are cases where extraction is the right call: a tooth split below the gum, one with too little structure left to restore, or advanced gum disease that has already destroyed the supporting bone.
An X-ray settles it in minutes. We will show you the image and explain what we are looking at, and the decision is yours to make with the facts in front of you.
A root canal treats the inside of the tooth. When decay or trauma reaches the nerve, that tissue becomes infected and will not recover on its own. We remove it, disinfect the canals, seal them, and then restore the tooth — usually with a crown, because a treated tooth is more brittle than a living one.
Extraction is quicker and cheaper on the day. The cost arrives later. Teeth either side of a gap drift into it, the opposing tooth over-erupts, and the bone that once held the root begins to resorb. Replacing that tooth properly with a bridge or an implant costs considerably more than the root canal would have.
There are cases where extraction is the right call: a tooth split below the gum, one with too little structure left to restore, or advanced gum disease that has already destroyed the supporting bone.
An X-ray settles it in minutes. We will show you the image and explain what we are looking at, and the decision is yours to make with the facts in front of you.
Have a question about your own teeth?
General advice is no substitute for an examination. Book a check-up and we will look at your case properly.