Root canal therapy is a common treatment dentists use to repair and save a tooth. Over 14 million root canals are done every year making it one of the most common dental procedures performed.
Even though they have a bad reputation for being painful, they’re usually not at all. But a lot of times, really bad tooth pain actually means you need a root canal.
Your dentist can fix that pain so that it will never come back. Root canal therapy has a high rate of success. When a tooth gets a root canal, it will often function for a lifetime.
With today’s advances in dentistry this simple, and relatively painless, treatment can save your natural teeth and prevent the need of dental implants or bridges.
If you’re experiencing a painful tooth, this is good enough reason to seek out a trusted dental specialist. Riding your bike, playing outside, work-related accidents, and biting into something hard are among several causes of dental emergencies.
Some examples of common dental emergencies include a terrible toothache, an injury to the tooth, a tooth that is infected, or a tooth that has been knocked out. Infections left untreated run the risk of spreading to other parts of the mouth, head, and neck, resulting in more severe health complications. These types of injuries should not be ignored and require immediate attention.
Making an appointment with our experienced Doctors can help preserve the current state of your tooth. Injuries that seem minor could be affecting the living tissues inside of your mouth, so quick treatment is the only way to avoid further damage.
However, sometimes there are no symptoms, if a nerve/tooth dies, the infection can grow and not cause any discomfort.
This is why it is extremely important for adults to have a full set of x-rays taken every 3-5 years.
Tooth nerve and pulp can become infected, inflamed and irritated due to several reasons including:
During your consultation, our doctors will perform an exam with x-rays and test the tooth, to decide if it does indeed need a root canal treatment. Additionally we will be sure to discuss the details of your upcoming procedure, as well as answer any questions that you may have.
First, the doctor apply a local anesthetic to ensure your mouth remains numb throughout the entire procedure. Then she will place a dental dam over the tooth to isolate it. This dam keeps your tooth clean as well.
Second, the doctor will make an opening in the tooth. The doctor will then use small instruments to clean the pulp from the chamber and root canals.
Third,we will disinfect the root and fill the area with gutta-percha (a natural form of rubber). This helps strengthen the roots of the tooth.
In most cases a crown needs to be done afterward to complete treatment.
If you are having tooth pain, call us anytime. We have dentists available 24/7! A root canal is not painful. The reason people associate pain with root canals is they often have tons of pain in their tooth BEFORE the root canal. Come see us and we can get you in right away to take care of your tooth!
