Root Canal Treatment: Useful for Saving an Infected Tooth
Many people visit the dentist’s office near me with deep decay from an untreated cavity, chips or cracks in the tooth, and a tooth that has undergone multiple dental procedures. The dentist evaluates their condition before providing a referral to the Union city dentist, telling people they need root canal therapy and treatment to save the infected tooth in their mouths.
The dentist’s referral to a specialist scares people into believing they are in trouble both with their dental health and finances. Most people believe root canal treatments are painful and must be avoided at all costs. People don’t realize root canal therapy is the only treatment available to remove the tooth infection from within. Avoiding root canal treatment undoubtedly entails tooth extraction leaving people with additional expenditure for replacement teeth.
What’s A Root Canal?
Root canals are dental procedures to remove the soft core of the tooth the pulp. The pulp is where the nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue helping the tooth grow are housed. Root canals become essential when the pulp becomes injured or develops an infection.
The dental crown is not affected when the pulp within dies. Removing the injured or infected pulp is the optimal way to preserve the structure of the tooth. People with infected or damaged pulp complain about pain in the tooth and swelling besides sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures on the gums. The union city dentist examines the painful truth by taking x-rays to confirm the diagnosis. The procedure for having root canal treatment is established after the diagnosis to people.
Performing the Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is performed in a dental office, and when the patient arrives for the procedure, they are seated in the dentist’s chair and anesthetized. The anesthesia does not render the patient unconscious but keeps them awake during the process.
After the tooth is entirely numb, the dentist makes a tiny opening in the dental crown on top of the tooth. The small space exposes the dental pulp, which the specialist removes using special instruments. Dentists are particularly careful to ensure they clean out all the canals in the tooth.
After pulp removal, the dentist cleans the area with a topical antibiotic to ensure the infection is eliminated without leaving any chances of a relapse. After cleaning and disinfecting the canals, the dentist fills and seals the tooth with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha. Oral antibiotics are prescribed to the patient for a few days. The dentist completes the root canal procedure by closing the tiny opening on top of the tooth with a temporary filling. The temporary filling protects the canals from damages by saliva.
Actions Patients Must Take after Undergoing Root Canal
Patients will experience soreness and discomfort after anesthesia starts wearing off. They may also experience swelling of the gums. These symptoms are common after any surgical procedure. Dentists recommend taking over-the-counter painkillers to treat the symptoms. Patients are advised to call the dentist if the pain becomes unbearable or lasts for several days.
Resuming regular activities should not be challenging for people the day after the procedure. However, they must avoid chewing with the treated tooth until it receives a permanent filling. Patients are advised to see their regular dentist within a few days to have the tooth restored permanently.
When patients visit the regular dentist a few days after root canal treatment, their tooth is x-rayed to determine whether the infection is eliminated from within. If all is well, the dentist offers a permanent restoration for the tooth with a dental crown. Crowns are fake teeth made from gold or porcelain and provide a realistic appearance. Patients require several weeks to get accustomed to how the tooth feels after undergoing root canal therapy. It is not an unusual phenomenon and isn’t a cause for concern.
When people are advised to undergo a root canal to remove an infection from within their tooth, they must prefer undergoing the treatment instead of attempting to avoid it. The therapy helps people save their natural tooth, which would otherwise need the extraction to prevent infection from spreading to other parts of the mouth and creating more havoc. Infections within a tooth are best eliminated by dentists using the root canal procedure that patients must use instead of letting the disease fester in their mouths.
Root canal treatment aims to remove infections from within the tooth to preserve it. They prevent patients from having teeth extracted because the only alternative to a root canal is tooth removal.