Are you at the office of the Waterdown Smile Dentist with an excruciating toothache? The discomfort may emanate from an untreated cavity or an impact on your mouth, injuring your teeth. After examining your tooth by taking x-rays, the dentist from the facility recommends an endodontic treatment to relieve the pain you experience. You might not comprehend the meaning of the treatment recommended by the dentist. However, there is nothing to fear because millions of teeth undergo this treatment from dentists to preserve their natural teeth.
As you are unaware of what the treatment means, it simply indicates that you need root canal therapy to eradicate an infection inside your tooth. If you think root canals are fearsome, understand that the condition inside your tooth has affected the dental pulp and needs fixing. You left a cavity untreated, and it may have resulted in fractures to allow your mouth’s bacteria to penetrate the tooth and infect from within.
If you refuse to undergo root canal treatment in Waterdown, ON, you continue experiencing the excruciating toothache until you must eventually have the tooth extracted. If you wish to preserve the natural tooth, you must undergo root canals because it is the only alternative available.
What Are Root Canals?
The Greek word for inside is ‘Endo,’ and ‘Odont’ is the Greek term for teeth. Endodontic treatment deals with infections inside the tooth. Root canals are a type of endodontic therapy.
When understanding endodontic therapy, you help yourself to learn about the anatomy of your tooth. Within the tooth beneath the hard surface, the tooth enamel is another layer called dentin. Beneath the dentin exists a soft tissue called the dental pulp. The pulp houses blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue, creating the surrounding hard tissues during the tooth’s development.
Your dental pulp extends from the crown of your tooth to the tip of its roots connecting to the tissues surrounding it. The dental pulp is necessary during the germination and development of the tooth. However, the tooth can survive without the pulp after it is mature because it receives nourishment from its tissues.
Why May You Need Root Canals?
Root canals become necessary when your dental pulp becomes infected or inflamed. The infection or inflammation results from various causes, including deep decay, frequent dental procedures on a cracked or chipped tooth or injuries to the tooth even if it displays no visible signs of chips and cracks. If you leave the dental pulp infection untreated, you experience pain or may even develop a dental abscess.
How Do Root Canals Preserve the Tooth?
During your endodontic therapy, the specialist from the facility removes the infected or inflamed pulp before carefully cleaning and shaping the inside of the root canal. After that, they fill and seal the space, recommending that you visit your regular dentist to restore the tooth with a dental crown or permanent filling. After undergoing the therapy and restoring your tooth, it continues to function like your remaining teeth.
What Does the Procedure Involve?
Unlike the many myths you may have heard about painful root canals, the dentist ensures you feel no pain during the procedure. The dentist administers anesthesia to make your tooth entirely numb. They also protect the surrounding tissues of your mouth by isolating the tooth to keep it clean and free from saliva when performing the procedure.
The specialist makes a tiny opening in the crown of your tooth and uses small flexible instruments to clean the pulp from its chamber and root canals to shape the place for fillings. After cleaning and shaping the root canals, the specialist fills them with a bio-compatible rubber-like material gutta-percha with adhesives. The specialist also applies a temporary filling to the opening they created in the crown of your tooth.
After completing the endodontic therapy, you must return to your dentist to restore the tooth with a dental crown or permanent filling to protect the tooth restoring it to full functionality.
What to Expect after Undergoing Root Canals?
Expect the tooth to remain sensitive for a few days after undergoing a root canal. You may also experience swelling and inflammation or an uneven bite and reactions to the medications provided by the specialist. However, the treatment helps save your natural tooth by preventing extractions and needing tooth replacement solutions to close gaps in your smile.
What to Avoid after Root Canals?
After root canals, you must follow the specialist’s instructions. Avoid biting on hard and chewy foods, and remain cautious around the area where you underwent the root canal procedure. You can continue maintaining oral hygiene, brushing two times a day, and avoiding hot and spicy foods that cause sensitivity until you have the tooth restored.
Root canals aren’t as fearsome as they are reputed. In reality, the treatment is comfortable and no more painful than getting a filling. However, if your dentist in Waterdown, ON recommends the procedure, it helps if you accept the suggestion to benefit your natural tooth.
