Root canal or extraction

My five year old cocker spaniel has broken her bottom left canine/fang tooth. Took the top off it, her pulp is exposed small pink dot . We've been offered a root canal or extraction and I'm torn what to do in her best interests. Root canal might not work will require after care and follow up sedation. Extraction could cause her jaw structure to alter   Any advice appreciated please

Hello - I have never been in a position to offer root canal surgery to any of my canine patents and was not aware of it being widely done.  It sounds as though you have a dentally-motivated vet, who is sensibly offering a choice between the high standard of treatment normally applied to humans and that which is most commonly offered to UK dogs.  I suspect the thought behind it is that, 'just because we can offer human-standard treatment, doesn't mean its always affordable / appropriate / what the owner wants, but because we have the skills to do so, we will let them choose.'  This is an excellent approach - good for your vets.    At your end, it comes down to personal preference;  some owners are very concerned about the contour of the jaw, in which case root canal surgery would be a strong preference.  Removing a large tooth at the back of the mouth is more likely to cause inflammation / short-term dental pain than simply treating the root; however, the latter is more likely to fail (what is the likelyhood based on the particular surgeon's past results?  They may be able to tell you). In the event of it failing, the dental extraction may be required after all.  As my Dad would have said, it's like comparing swings with roundabouts; one option will be preferred by one dog-owner partnership; the other by another.  As far as I understand it, both options are perfectly acceptable and can be carried out to a high standard.  I wonder if you asked the staff what they'd do for their own dog, you might even find different preferences between them.