During a recent visit to your dentist to have a painful tooth looked at, they determined that it was infected and you’ll need a root canal to treat it. Due to years of seeing TV shows, movies, and other forms of media depict root canals as being excruciatingly painful, you’re nervous about moving forward with the procedure. Fortunately, root canals aren’t nearly as bad as you may think. In fact, they’re often virtually painless! Read on to learn more about root canals and why you shouldn’t put of treatment.
What Is Root Canal Therapy?
When a tooth is severely infected, a root canal is the only way to repair and save the tooth. Before starting the procedure, your dentist will numb the area to make sure that you’re comfortable throughout the treatment. Next, they will remove the infected pulp from the inside of the tooth. They will then thoroughly clean the tooth out before filling it with gutta-percha, which is a rubber-like substance. A dental filling or crown will be used to seal off the tooth. This is done to protect it from future infections as well as to restore its look and function.
Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Schedule Your Root Canal
The longer you wait to get a root canal, the worse the infection will get. Though your dentist will always try to do what they can to save the tooth, this is only possible if you come in to receive treatment soon enough. If you wait too long, the infection will get worse and may spread to other teeth, your gums, or even get into your bloodstream and travel to other parts of the body. Once the tooth has been damaged beyond repair, the only option will be to extract it.
3 Benefits of Root Canals
Now that we’ve established how root canals work and why it’s important to get one as soon as possible, what are some ways that they can benefit your smile? A few positive impacts of getting root canal treatment include:
- No extraction necessary – When you have a tooth pulled, you have to pay for both the extraction and a replacement to fill in the gap and prevent dental shifting. It’s best to have the tooth repaired with a root canal to save money, hassle, and your natural bite.
- A pain-free smile – Though myths lead many people to think root canals are painful, they actually get rid of the pain by removing the infected pulp from a tooth.
- A long-term fix – When done by a quality team of dental health professionals and with a good oral hygiene routine, you can make your root canal treatment last a lifetime.
As you can see, root canal therapy isn’t as scary as you may have thought. If your dentist says you need to have a tooth treated with this procedure, be sure to do it as soon as possible to get your smile back on the right track!
About the Practice
Dr. David M. Fisher, Jr. has been practicing dentistry from his Greensboro dental office for over 20 years. He takes pride in helping patients feel confident in their smiles and learn the best ways to care for them. If you have a tooth that’s severely infected, he offers root canal therapy to alleviate pain and prevent further issues. To learn more about this procedure or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Fisher and his team, visit his website or call his office at (336) 288-1242.