What is a Root Canal?
Root canal therapy is needed when the nerve of a tooth is affected by decay or infection.
In order to save the tooth, the pulp (the living tissue inside the tooth), nerves, bacteria, and any decay are removed and the resulting space is filled with special medicated dental materials which restore the tooth to its full function.
A root canal is an amazing alternative to losing an infected tooth permanently.
Common signs and symptoms for performing a root canal:
- Pain
- Swelling in the gums due to infection around the tooth
- Deep cavity reaching all the way into nerves of the tooth
- Previous history of trauma, injury to the tooth causing the nerves to die and the tooth to darken.
- Constant sensitivity in the tooth which doesn't go away by any other means.
Is a Root Canal Painful?
Root Canal, in spite of its bad reputation, is actually not a painful procedure. Since the tooth is already hurting prior to the appointment, patients usually associate a root canal with being a painful procedure.
Some things to remember:
- Root canal treatment helps us save teeth which otherwise would need removal.
- Root canal treatment is not a painful procedure.
- Root canal treatment may take more than 1 appointment depending on the amount of infection present.
- Most root canal treated teeth will need crowns to prevent them from fracturing.
Dr. Davé can often start the root canal procedure on the very same day and will help you get out of pain right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you have a tooth infection, bacteria usually live in tiny canals inside the roots of the tooth and in the area surrounding the roots. With a root canal procedure, these canals inside the roots are completely cleaned with small files and then sealed with a biocompatible material. With the bacteria inside the tooth removed, the body’s defense system along with antibiotics can clear the infection from the surrounding bone making the tooth healthy again.
Most people need a root canal when they have a big cavity or an old big filling on the tooth. The tooth after removing all the cavities and old filling usually ends up being very weak. A crown is recommended to strengthen the tooth and to ensure the tooth doesn't break with day-to-day chewing. In a few cases, where the root canal is done in the absence of large fillings or a cavity, if the tooth is sufficiently strong after the root canal treatment, a crown is not needed. Dr. Davé can do a proper assessment of your tooth, your chewing habits and patterns and give you proper recommendations.
People usually need root canal when the tooth has an infection, severe sensitivity or pain or the nerves inside the tooth are dead. These conditions can be treated by either carefully removing the infected or dead nerves from inside the teeth which is a root canal treatment or by removing the tooth altogether. If you need a root canal, simple filling without removing the infected nerves is not an alternative. No treatment is always an option but leaving infection in the tooth untreated is not recommended.
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