Afraid of Undergoing Root Canal Treatment? Here’s What You Should Know

Toothaches have the knack of causing sleepless nights. The throbbing or sharp stabbing pain is nothing to look forward to. Even though teeth are tough, they can be structurally compromised, and in no time, your nerves are exposed.

Years ago, there was only one option when you had a toothache, and that was getting your tooth pulled. Today, we have a root canal specialist who can save an infected tooth.

However, misinformation has led some people to believe that root canal treatment near you is a scary affair. So, the only way to debunk the myth is to understand root canal treatment near you better.

Root Canal Treatment, In a Nutshell

Every dentist desires that your natural teeth remain healthy and strong. So, our root canal specialist will do everything possible to ensure that your natural teeth remain intact. Modern dentistry has made it conceivable to treat and repair an infected or damaged tooth.

Endodontics in Ridgewood, New York, is a branch of dentistry that deals with treating the inner parts of your tooth.

To put it in another way, we can say that root canal treatment entails diagnosing your teeth, conducting the procedure, and doing the follow-up to save your tooth and eliminate pain and infection.

How Does Root Canal Therapy Save an Infected Tooth?

Under the enamel (the hard white outer part of your tooth) lies the yellowish softer part referred to as the dentin. Then, below the dentin, there is the core of your tooth, which is the pulp.

The pulp comprises connective tissue, cells, blood vessels, and nerves vital for the growth and nourishment of your teeth.

The pulp is safely tucked inside the tooth under the protection of the enamel, which happens to be the sturdiest substance in the body. However, the pulp can be exposed due to:

Trauma
A severe cavity
Large tooth filling
A cracked tooth
Several dental procedures that have affected the root canal

When your pulp is exposed, the blood vessels, cells, nerves, and connective tissue become inflamed. Shortly after, you will battle an infection, and this is why you have a throbbing toothache.

If the infection isn’t taken care of promptly, then bacteria will continue to multiply, and then you will have an abscess (a pus-filled pocket within the root canal).

This is where a root canal comes in handy. The infected pulp will be removed, the pulp chamber cleaned and sealed.

Losing your dental pulp shouldn’t trouble you. This is because your tooth can survive without the pulp, especially if it is a fully grown tooth. After development, the nerves only serve a sensory purpose. This explains why you can feel the extreme temperatures. So, when the pulp is removed, your tooth will function as normal.

Is Root Canal Treatment Painful?

On the contrary, it is performed to alleviate pain. Root canal therapy is performed under anesthesia, so the procedure is pain-free. If the pain was due to the infection or inflammation of the pulp, then you will feel better after the pulp is removed.

How Do You Know You Need Root Canal Treatment?

An abscess can have severe oral and overall health implications. Therefore, promptly treating an infected tooth will not only save your tooth but will improve your oral health. So, here’s how you’d know that you need root canal treatment:

Your gums are swollen around the affected tooth
Discolored teeth
Pimples on the gums that keep showing up
Sharp pain when you are eating
Deep decay or darkened gums
Long periods of tooth sensitivity, even when your teeth are not exposed to extreme temperatures

How Is a Root Canal Performed?

Typically, this is what you should expect:

Removing the Infected Pulp

Our root canal specialist will numb the area to ensure that the process is pain-free. Our dentist will gain access to the pulp chamber by drilling the tooth. Then, the decayed part will be removed.

Preparing the Root Canal

Our dentist will remove all the debris and shape the root canal. Then, it will be flooded with cleaning solutions to disinfect the pulp chamber. Our dentist will use a rubber-like material (gutta-percha) to seal the root canal.

Filling the Tooth

Your tooth will become more fragile after the pulp has been removed. So, a tooth crown would be the best restoration option. However, you can go for a tooth filling of your choice.

As you can see, root canal treatment is a pain-free procedure, and there’s nothing to be scared about at all. So call us at Mamkin Dentistry to schedule an appointment.