subject: Relieve Your Toothache With Root Canal Therapy [print this page] Relieve Your Toothache With Root Canal Therapy
Root canal therapy is a restorative treatment that saves, on average, 17 million teeth each year. If you are in pain from your tooth, you can keep it through root canal therapy. There is no longer a need to extract your tooth when it becomes infected. Thanks to advanced pain management in dental care, root canal therapy is a relatively simple procedure with little to no discomfort involved in the process. Sometimes the dental pulp of your tooth can become inflamed or infected, which results in the need for root canal therapy, but you have no need to worry about any pain involved. If anything, your pain will only be eliminated through the process. Root canal therapy is an appropriate and safe way for dentists to save your teeth. What, exactly, is Root Canal Therapy?Your tooth is made up of three main components: a hard protective shell called enamel, a softer middle layer called dentin and a soft tissue inner layer called dental pulp. If your layer of dental pulp is significantly traumatized, your tooth begins to slowly die, requiring the need for root canal therapy to prevent or eliminate infection and tooth loss. Root canal therapy involves disinfecting and cleansing your tooth and removing debris from the coronal pulp chamber and canals associated with it. Once your affected tooth's canals are cleaned and shaped, they are filled with materials to prevent pain and infection from recurring. After your root canal therapy, you should not chew or bite on the treated tooth until you have had it fully restored by your dentist. Proper oral hygiene is essential in maintaining your newly restored tooth. Make sure you maintain regular brushing, flossing and check-ups with your Loch Lloyd dentist. Signs You May Need a Root CanalIf you exhibit pain, prolonged sensitivity to heat or cold, discoloration of your tooth and swelling or tenderness in your gums, you may need root canal therapy as these signs point to an infection. Other times there may be no symptoms exhibited and no initial pain. That's why regular visits to your dentist are critical to preventing and detecting dental problems in their earliest stages.To determine whether you need a root canal or not, your dentist will perform a series of tests and X-rays to see what may be causing you pain. The X-ray may show a widening of the ligament that holds the tooth in place or even a dark spot at the tip of the root; pointing to an infection.Additionally, if you notice a raised growth near your tooth, it is important to see your Leawood dentist immediately. What may look like a pimple is really called a sinus tract, which is a tunnel of tissue that drains pus from an infection of your tooth. The infection of your tooth must be treated and may require root canal therapy.The pain you exhibit is often related to your toothache and not the actual procedure of the root canal. If you exhibit any of the signs listed, it is important to consult your Kansas City dentist to decide what the best treatment for your infection would be. With proper examination, your dentist will determine if root canal therapy is right for your tooth.
