What is root canal treatment?
Root canal treatment removes a tooth’s interior pulp. The pulp is a soft tissue rich in nerves and blood vessels tissue. When your tooth is growing, the pulp is essential for the tooth’s proper growth and development. However, once your tooth is fully developed, your tooth can survive without its pulp.
Extensive tooth decay or fractures can damage the pulp, causing pain and tooth sensitivity that can lead to inflammation and infection of the nerve of your tooth. Untreated tooth nerve inflammation and infection can even cause a painful abscess or spread the infection to the rest of your mouth and other parts of your body.
Signs you need a root canal
There are a few signs that indicate your tooth decay or damage requires a root canal:
You’re experiencing persistent pain
Throbbing pain that spontaneously and continuously returns can mean that your tooth damage has impacted your tooth’s pulp. Typically teeth will be extremely sensitive to hot and cold temperatures when the nerve is inflamed, and may even be uncomfortable to biting and chewing pressure.
Your tooth is discolored
Infected pulp and extreme tooth decay can damage the tooth’s roots and cause it to have a black, grayish appearance.
Your tooth feels loose
When a tooth is infected, this can cause the bone around the tooth to soften and loosen the tooth.
The process for Root Canal Treatment
We begin your root canal treatment by administering local anesthesia to ensure that you’re comfortable and pain-free during the procedure. Then, we remove decay from the tooth and make an opening to access and remove the infected pulp and nerve from the inside of your tooth. The roots of your tooth remain intact in your bone.
Once the pulp is gone, we flush and clean the inside of your tooth roots before sealing them with a material called gutta percha. The access opening is then sealed with a temporary filling, but you’ll need a more permanent option, like an onlay or crown, for long-term protection,stability, and prevention of future tooth fractures.
What to expect after your Root Canal Treatment
After a root canal treatment, it’s normal for your tooth to feel sensitive and sore for a few days. You can use over-the-counter pain medication, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen, to reduce your discomfort. Avoid smoking, as it can interfere with your body’s natural healing processes. Otherwise, you can brush, floss, and eat like you usually do.
How does root canal treatment improve your oral health?
Root canal treatment helps you save a diseased, infected tooth. A damaged pulp will eventually die, and without root canal treatment would require extraction, causing jawbone deterioration and gum recession. Root canal treatment helps you save your tooth. It also prevents infection from spreading throughout your mouth, impacting your other teeth and oral tissues.
What are the benefits of root canal treatment?
Root canal treatment in has numerous benefits for our patients:
You can improve your tooth’s aesthetics
A root canal removes damage, decay, and infection from your tooth so that you can protect it with a restoration, like an onlay or crown. An onlay or crown will improve the structure, functionality, and appearance of your tooth.
A root canal eliminates pain
Painful teeth are disruptive, making it hard for you to eat, sleep, and function. Root canal treatment removes the source of your pain so that you feel better.
Root canals are fast and effective
We can complete a root canal in a single appointment that lasts a couple of hours or less. Occasionally in the case of a severe nerve infection, root canals will be completed in multiple appointments to allow us to place antibiotics inside of your tooth to promote healing and eliminate infection before the roots are sealed.
Dental treatments for all ages.
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