Root canals can be vital to lifelong dental health. When a tooth’s nerve is damaged or infected, root canal therapy can save the tooth, restoring it to full function and eliminating pain or sensitivity. Root canals also support the health of the surrounding teeth by eliminating trauma from extraction and the need for tooth replacement.
What Is a Root Canal?
When the pulp—the bundle of nerves, tissue, and other living matter inside a tooth—starts to deteriorate, it’s inevitable that the pulp will die without medical intervention. This deterioration may occur due to tooth decay, infection, or trauma or injury that introduces bacteria into the tooth pulp. Our dentists, highly skilled in root canal therapy, can preserve a damaged tooth by removing the decaying living matter and replacing the pulp with specially-developed, medicated materials. Root canals are highly successful procedures which can last a lifetime.
Symptoms of Damaged Tooth Pulp
When should you ask your dentist about root canal therapy? Although it’s possible to need root canal therapy with no clear symptoms, the most common signs that you need a root canal are:
- Swelling and/or tenderness in the gums and teeth
- Bleeding or pus around the infected tooth
- An abscess in the gums
- Pain when eating or drinking
- Severe tooth pain
- Pain that radiates to other areas (for example, tooth pain that migrates to the ear)
- Tooth sensitivity to heat and cold
If you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your dentist immediately. We’ll diagnose the problem using digital X-rays and recommend the best treatment.
What to Expect from Your Root Canal
When you visit Insight Dental for root canal therapy, our team uses our specialized knowledge and experience to make the procedure as quick and painless as possible. Root canals include two steps:
- initial cleaning of the tooth and removal of damaged tooth pulp
- a follow-up treatment to permanently seal the tooth
Thanks to advancements in dental technology, our team is able to make your procedure more efficient and comfortable than ever. We use local anesthetic to limit pain and a motorized rotary file to precisely remove the damaged portion of the tooth. Once the tooth is cleaned and the infected pulp removed, we’ll create a crown to permanently seal the tooth, restoring it to full function. Our medical team will be with you through every step of the process, making sure your questions are answered and ensuring that your recovery is as fast and pain-free recovery as possible.
To schedule a root canal therapy consultation, call today.