What are Root Canals?
Root Canals are procedures that need to be performed when bacteria find its way to the tooth's nerve and pulp. The bacteria cause infection, tooth decay, and dental pain ranging from mild to severe, and the tooth's nerve can be damaged. In order to save and restore the tooth, the tooth may need a root canal.
Root Canal Treatment Explained
Root canal therapy is a procedure that relieves patients from the pain that is caused by an abscessed or infected tooth. During the root canal process, the infected pulp is removed, and the remaining tooth structure is cleaned, disinfected, and sealed off to prevent future infection
When do you need root canal therapy?
The procedure is necessary when the infection has gone deep into the pulp of your tooth or the nerve has died. This occurs when a patient has left a cavity untreated for quite a long time. It can also happen when your tooth cracks or is damaged due to trauma. To save the tooth, a root canal is required.
How to Prepare for Root Canal Procedure
Before we begin your root canal procedure, we will answer any questions you may have about this treatment. Also, we give you a few things to do to prepare yourself.
1. Please take all prescribed medications. We may need you to take medicines such as antibiotics or anti-inflammatories just a few days before your root canal appointment. This is especially necessary if severe infection is present.
2. Please avoid smoking. Tobacco products impede your body's healing ability. Don't smoke even days before your dental appointment for root canal treatment.
Root Canal Procedure
Signs and Symptoms That You Need Root Canal Treatment
When you experience any of the following symptoms, you need to visit us at
The Smile Suite for us for an exam to determine if a root canal is necessary in your case.
1. Recurring tooth pain that brings severe discomfort and often radiates to your face, jaw, or other teeth.
2. You feel a lingering pain in your tooth that lasts for a few seconds when drinking hot coffee or eating ice cream. This means your tooth has become sensitive to either cold or hot food and drinks.
3. If you have swollen gums, it can be a strong indication of oral infection. When your tooth is infected, it collects pus, which leads to puffy, swollen, and tender gums.
4. Your gums have boils or pimples because the pus has drained from your infected tooth, which causes an unpleasant smell or taste.
5. Your jaw is visibly swollen from pus that did not drain from the affected site.
6. The tooth is discolored and looks darker due to an infection on the tooth's pulp, leading to poor blood supply.
7. There is pain when you apply pressure on the tooth. This could mean that the nerves surrounding the pulp are already damaged.
8. You chipped or cracked a tooth due to an accident or while biting on something hard. If not treated right away, bacteria can enter the tooth pulp.
9. Your tooth is loosened, indicating that the pus from the infected tooth pulp has softened the bone supporting your tooth.
The American Association of Endodontists reports that over 41,000 root canal treatments are performed daily in the United States. Root canals are a common dental procedure, with over 15 million treatments completed annually.
Regular dental visits are necessary to help detect early signs of dental problems before they worsen. This will save you time and resources while you manage or avoid dental pain altogether.
