What You Need To Know About Root Canal Therapy

One of the biggest contributors to natural nervousness and anxiety about dental procedures such as root canal in Waterloo is uncertainty. It’s normal to be nervous and anxious about the mysterious and known. One of the best ways to reduce nervousness and anxiety, is to resolve some of the mysteries and make sure you know all the relevant information about what you’ll experience. That’s the goal of this article — to help you understand what is involved in a root canal near you.

Why is root canal therapy necessary? 

Root canal therapy is necessary when a bacterial infection is affecting the pulp and nerves inside your tooth or teeth. Unless such serious infection is eliminated through a root canal, those bacteria will eventually kill the tissues inside your tooth and the infection will spread within your jaw, to other teeth, and even into your bloodstream. Serious infections affecting the inside of your teeth can cause a range of symptoms, but is usually confirmed by dental x-rays or images taken by your dentist in Waterloo. There are several possible symptoms of a serious infection that should be investigated as soon as possible: 

• Experiencing pain (not just mere sensitivity) while eating something hot or cold 
• Experiencing pain (not just mere sensitivity) while drinking something hot or cold  
• Pain in your tooth when biting 
• The tooth appears to sit higher in your mouth than others 
• The colour of the tooth has changed compared to its neighbours 
• The tooth seems loose 
• You have a pimple-like bump on the gums near the tooth 
• A foul-tasting discharge in your mouth 
• Swelling in your face and jaw 

What are the steps in root canal therapy? 

Every treatment plan is different depending on your medical history, symptoms, oral health and the findings shown in dental images. Each root canal procedure, though, consists of three basic steps performed during one to three sessions over the course of one or two appointments.   

Cleaning 

The first step of a root canal near you is to numb the affected area of your teeth, gums and jaw by applying local anesthesia so you’ll experience no pain during the procedure. Your dentist will then make a small hole in the surface of your tooth to allow the dentist to access the interior of your infected tooth. Your dentist will use special tools and techniques to remove all infected material from the inside of your tooth.  

Filling 

Once your tooth is cleared of infected material and decontaminated during the first step, the void inside your tooth will be filled with a substance akin to rubber called gutta-percha. Once the tooth is filled, a dentist near you will seal the access hole made in the surface of your tooth with another small amount of gutta-percha and adhesive cement. The goal of doing so is to prevent bacteria from penetrating the treated tooth to cause reinfection in the future.  

Protecting 

A tooth that has undergone root canal treatment is weakened and more fragile than a healthy tooth. To reinforce the tooth while allowing it to perform its function while you bite, eat and chew, your dentist will place a crown over your tooth once you’ve fully recovered from the root canal procedure. Once the crown is in place, you’ll be able to bite, eat and chew with the treated tooth normally.   

Root canal treatment has an underserved and outdated reputation for being painful and complex. The reality is that, thanks to improvements in dental techniques and technology, root canal therapy is painless and actually eliminates pain while removing infection from your teeth. A dentist near you will provide you with detailed instructions about how to care for your jaw to ensure your fullest and fastest possible recovery without any complications. 

Are you experiencing any concerning symptoms of a potential tooth infection? If so, don’t delay contacting a dentist near you. A timely root canal can eliminate the infection and protect your health while also preserving your tooth from unnecessary extraction.