If pulp inflammation or infection is left untreated, it can eventually cause pain, swelling and loss of the supporting bone. Root canal treatment saves teeth that would otherwise have been extracted.
While extraction may be a quicker and cheaper option, it often leads to subsequent problems.
Imagine your teeth as books neatly arranged on a bookshelf, taking one out will result in the drifting or tilting of surrounding teeth into the empty space, destabilizing the whole dental arch, neighbouring teeth and occlusion of the individual.
Suppose in the dentist’s opinion, the tooth is a strategic and useful one. In that case, it certainly is worth the time and expense required for root canal treatment to save that tooth.