One of your teeth has become inflamed and is causing pain, especially when you put pressure on it. You may be afraid to have it checked by a dental professional because you don’t want to hear the dreaded words “you need a root canal”. Although the procedure will alleviate the pain caused by decay or infection inside the tooth’s canal, it gets a bad rap as being very painful even though it is usually no more painful than having a tooth filled.
Root Canal Procedure For Infected Tooth
The soft area within the root’s canal is called the pulp chamber. The tooth’s nerve lies within the canal along with the pulp. When the nerve and/or pulp inside the canal become irritated, inflamed and infected from decay, large fillings, a crack or even trauma to the face due to an accident or sports-related injury, endodontic procedures may become necessary.
Damaged nerve tissue will eventually break down and bacteria can begin to grow within the pulp chamber, causing an infection or abscessed tooth. When the infection spreads past the ends of the tooth’s root, it forms a pus-filled pocket called an abscess. An abscess can cause additional swelling, bone loss at the infection site and other health issues.
Endodontic treatment is used to repair and save a natural tooth that is badly decayed or infected, and to prevent further damage to the tooth, bone and gums. During the procedure, the nerve and pulp are removed and the inside of the tooth is cleaned, filed, shaped and sealed. The nerve is no longer needed once the tooth has broken through the gums and the absence of the nerve should not affect the daily function of the tooth.
This procedure can be performed by a dentist or an endodontist, depending on the level of difficulty of the procedure. Many family dental practices, such as Park Dental Care in Astoria, offer services where root canal therapy is typically completed in just two dental visits and is virtually painless using local anesthesia. For those who are extremely anxious about having the procedure performed, sleep sedation is often an option during the procedure.
During the procedure, your dental professional will first take an x-ray to study the shape of the root and to determine if there is infection of the surrounding bone. A small hole is then drilled into the affected tooth, allowing an access point in order to remove the damaged pulp and nerve tissue. The canal is then filed to completely remove any lingering debris and is flushed out with either water or sodium hypochlorite before being sealed.
It is always a priority to save a patient’s natural teeth if at all possible. Extraction of the affected tooth may sound like an easy solution, but removal of natural teeth can cause other issues down the road such as bone decay which may lead to further tooth loss. If you need additional restoration of the tooth after the root canal procedure has been completed, your dentist will discuss your options at this time.
Do I really need a root canal? Let Park Dental Care access your situation. For more information about root canal therapy performed at Park Dental Care in Astoria, Queens, call 718-274-1515.
