Root Canals
You shouldn't be alarmed if a root canal, or endodontics, is recommended for a tooth. In fact, a root canal is typically the best way to relieve toothache pain, save a damaged tooth, and preserve your natural smile. Using the most advanced technology, we help patients maintain healthy, beautiful smiles with precise and gentle care at First Weston Dental. Our top priorities are patient care and comfort, and you can rest assured your oral health is in good hands.
Why you may need root canal therapy
You have much more to your teeth than the hard outer biting surfaces and the roots. Within each of them is a central chamber containing connective tissue, a nerve supply, and blood vessels. Known collectively as the dental pulp, these tissues help your tooth grow and mature before it emerges into your mouth. When a tooth is in place, the dental pulp provides nourishment, maintains the tooth's vitality, and alerts you to problems. It is a signal from the nerves inside your teeth that decay, trauma, or infection may be present if you are sensitive to various stimuli, including biting down and eating or drinking hot or cold items. It depends on how much nerve damage there is and how much pain you experience.
The dental pulp of a tooth that requires a root canal is irreversibly damaged or has died. However, if enough intact tooth structure remains, and there is good bone support around the compromised tooth, it may not be necessary to extract it. Until a tooth is fully developed without its pulp, it will remain functional. Your dentist can perform a root canal on your tooth to preserve its natural appearance.
Although not all instances of dental discomfort indicate the need for root canal therapy, the following warning signs may indicate that you would benefit from this procedure:
Unresolved, persistent pain
Pain is your body's way of letting you know something is wrong. Even though there are many causes of oral pain, one of the most common is a toothache caused by decay or damage that affects the tooth's inner vital tissues. Patients who need root canal therapy often report dental pain that wakes them up at night.
Temperature sensitivity
If the pleasure of sipping hot beverages or foods is overshadowed by dental pain, it's time to call us. Inflamed, inflamed, or non-vital dental pulp can cause extreme sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks.
Discomfort with pressure or the slightest touch
When the tooth hurts when you bite or chew, or when you just touch the tooth, you may have pulpal involvement, irreversible damage to the inner vital tissues, or an infection.
Darkened, discolored tooth
If the tooth is discolored, it is usually a sign that the inner vital tissues, including the nerve and blood supply, have been damaged. The internal tissues of teeth that have been injured may become devitalized and display discoloration.
Chipped, cracked, or fractured tooth
A chip or fractured tooth can also damage the dental pulp or compromise so much of the tooth's structure that a root canal must be performed.
Swelling around the tooth and gums
The swelling of the gums around a tooth may indicate an infection. While swelling can worsen and cause more serious consequences, sometimes a dental abscess starts to ooze pus and drain. Both cases require prompt treatment.
Tooth mobility
The pathology associated with a tooth requiring root canal therapy can damage the bone supporting it and make it mobile. The process of tissue healing can often resolve this problem.