A root canal treatment saves and repairs a tooth suffering from decay or infection. Toothaches are a burdensome thing to endure. It is hard to work on your everyday tasks if you have pain shooting from inside your mouth. The pain can come from a root canal infection. Not addressing this issue might infect the tissues surrounding the tooth.
An endodontist is a root canal specialist that handles the root canal procedure. The root canal is a pulp-filled cavity within your tooth. The pulp, commonly known as the pulp chamber, is the area within the root canal that holds the tooth’s nerves.
Is it necessary to remove the tooth’s pulp?
Damage in the nerve tissue causes the bacteria to multiply inside the pulp chamber and leads to an abscessed tooth. An abscess is a collection of pus that’s formed at the end of your tooth’s roots due to an infection. Most dentists perform a root canal therapy to fix this problem by cleaning the patient’s tooth pulp.
A root canal infection can cause the following:
- Face or neck swelling
- Bone loss
- Drainage problems from the tooth’s side to the gums
What happens during a root canal procedure?
Here are three things you can expect from a root canal therapy in London, Ontario.
1.Your dentist will need to administer local anesthesia to numb the tooth. He will also place a dental dam to keep the tooth dry during the procedure
2. He will access the inside of your tooth by creating an opening in the top part of your tooth. Your dentist will clear the infected pulp inside your tooth. The pulp chamber of the tooth will be thoroughly cleaned to remove traces of bacteria. This is done to remove the risk of further infection.
During the root canal procedure, is it harmful if I remove the infected pulp which holds my tooth’s nerve?
The tooth’s nerve is not vitally important to your tooth. Removing it will not affect the health and the everyday function of the tooth. The only function of the tooth’s nerve is sensory, providing the sensation of hot or cold.
3.After making sure that the pulp chamber is clean, your endodontist will now fill it. He will use a rubber-like material known as gutta-percha. This will also help shape the inner chamber of your tooth. This is the last part of the root canal. Your dentist will now close the opening that he made with a dental filling.
You might need a dental crown upon his advise, depending on the situation of your tooth.
What causes damage to the tooth’s pulp?
It becomes inflamed and infected because of deep decay. Other things that contribute to this are:
- Repetition of certain dental procedures on your tooth
- Crack in your tooth
- Trauma to the face
What do you do after a root canal procedure?
- After a root canal procedure, you need to take extra good care of all your teeth and gums.
- Your dentist might take X-rays of your tooth to be sure that he was able to remove all signs of infection.
- Twice a year dental cleaning and examinations will greatly improve your dental health.
- Maintain a good oral hygiene routine at home. Doing this faithfully ensures that your treated tooth remains healthy.
