root canal necessary or not

[merinl]

I had an infection in my gums of front teeth and after taking antibiotics it disappeared.again after three weeks infection came..dentist recommended root canal..i want to ask whether root canal is the only solution for this

 

[honestdoc]

2 possibilities...most likely you will need a root canal. Did you have large cavity or filling on that tooth? Did you have a history of trauma or fall? Did you have a history of braces? The other may be gum disease.

A dentist will need to see an x-ray of the tooth to determine the root canal anatomy, bone level, and sound tooth structure. Depending on the predictability of success, a dentist will tell you options such as root canal, root canal and crown or tooth extraction.

A rare possibility is viral like herpes which does not respond to antibiotics or canker sore which is the body's autoimmune response. Other more rare possibilities are lesions resulting from medications, tumors or cysts.