What Is A Root Canal Therapy
Nobody likes being told they need root canal therapy. If you’ve had it done before, you will know that it takes longer than a straightforward filling. If you haven’t, you may be unsure why your dentist recommends it and are wondering whether you should go ahead.
The first thing to know is that root canal therapy is not scary. Yes, it does take longer than a filling, but a skilled dentist will ensure that you experience mild discomfort at worst. The main reason why we recommend this type of therapy is to save the tooth.
Why is saving teeth so important? If you lose a tooth, it can cause degeneration of the jawbone which is why dentists often recommend replacing missing teeth with a dental implant. It is far preferable to maintain your natural teeth for as long as possible.
Why do Dentists Recommend Root Canal Therapy?
There are two situations in which dentists recommend root canal therapy. If a tooth has become severely decayed, just filling it won’t be enough. The decay has penetrated through the dentin of the tooth, and simply filling the cavity won’t relieve the pain from the nerve inside the pulp of your tooth.
Infection in the pulp of the tooth, sometimes accompanied by an abscess below the root of the tooth also calls for a root canal treatment.
What do Dentists Do in Root Canal Therapy?
In root canal therapy, the dentist uses a very fine drill to remove the infected pulp of a tooth. To ensure that the infection doesn’t return, the dentist carefully cleans out the area after removing the pulp and may shape the root canals to better accept the filling that will seal it off.
Since the nerve that allows a tooth to hurt is located inside the pulp, the tooth won’t be able to send you pain signals after a root canal. The good news is that you’ll never have a toothache in that tooth again. On the other hand, you will need to be very particular about going for regular check-ups since you won’t necessarily notice any warning signals if the tooth begins to decay in another place.
Why You Shouldn’t Try to Skip Your Root Canal Therapy
Although some patients wait until they are in great pain before going to a dentist and are happy to receive any treatment that will take it away, others may not yet be experiencing severe pain and might consider putting off the therapy.
Unfortunately, infection in the pulp of the tooth continues to spread and can ultimately led to a tooth abscess. An abscess is not only incredibly painful but can have several far-reaching effects on your overall health. In the end, you may not only lose your tooth, but also suffer from bone-loss in the jaw, abscesses that spread and grow, and a variety of unpleasant complications.
We can’t promise that you will never need root canal therapy even if you do come for regular dental check-ups, but the chances of needing it are greatly reduced through the early detection of dental health issues. And if your dentist recommends a root canal, be sure that he or she would not do so lightly.
