Is extraction my only option after a failed root canal?

We all want to keep our teeth as long as possible, but there are times that an extraction is the best treatment.  Dental implants are a great long term approach when facing the loss of a tooth. If you are not comfortable then pay for a second opinion for peace of mind.  Good luck.  

Conservation of what is natural is the aim of every dentist. In our case, your natural tooth has served you a good time span of 13 years. Hence, getting it removed should not be something which you need to feel bad about as the removal is carried out due to the existing infection.
If you go for tooth replacement option, my advice would be to go for dental implants if you are looking for a life-long permanent solution.

Hello!! 
The option of preserving your natural tooth in mouth is always the best way to go as long as a retreatment or apicoectomy have a good prognostic if the percentage of success is low it might not be the way to go, there are several factors that need to be analyzed before taking a final decision on the main factors are the amount of infection and the amount and level of the bone lost if is underneath the point where the roots meet, then I am afraid it will be best to extract it, if you would like to consult another doctor please make sure is an endodontist.
I hope my answer was helpful!

its difficult to say anything  without seeing yr xray. so its my advice to upload xray. but for yr idea here i m giving you sequence , we normally followroot canal treatmentre root canal treatment with / without apicoectomyextraction 

If the infection is small you can try having a reroot canal treatment but if the infection is large in size and there is pus discharge it is always better to extract the tooth and go for replacement of tooth with a Dental Implant.

I agree with Dr. Gary Braunstein.   It could be possible to retreat the root canal and save your tooth.  It sounds like the infection is quite large, so I would recommend that you see a specialist to see if there is a good chance of success if you try to save your tooth.  I always feel that it is worth trying to save a natural tooth.  I still think that a good tooth is better than a good implant, however a compromised tooth is not as good as a good implant.   Once you know the likelihood of successful retreatment, then you will be better able to make your decision.  ... good luck

If you prefer to keep your tooth, you should see an endodontist for a 2nd opinion.  Because there is a large infection, it is quite possible that the tooth or root has a fracture and cannot be saved.  If this is the case, you would have to have the tooth extracted.  The bone graft and implant would be your best choice for replacing the tooth if it does have to be removed.  You would not have to have teeth adjacent to the lost tooth filed down for a bridge if you go for the implant.  Also, the implant will help preserve the bone where the tooth was lost.  And finally, it will be much easier for your daily hygiene, as flossing under a bridge is more difficult than flossing around a single implant, which would be similar to flossing around your natural teeth.  

This is a debatable topic.  You may be able to get some life out of it by doing apico and such but will ultimately be looking at a bone graft / implant anyways.