When Do You Need a Root Canal?
If you develop symptoms like severe pain when chewing or biting, pimples on the gums, endure lingering sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, have a chipped or cracked tooth or swollen and tender gums and deep decay, these are all indicators you have infected or inflamed pulp within the tooth best treated by root canal near me.
Root canal treatment or endodontic therapy becomes necessary when the soft tissue inside the root canal, the pulp becomes infected or inflamed. The problem affecting you may have arisen from various causes like deep decay and repeated dental procedures on the same tooth and chips or cracks in the tooth. Besides the above, an injury to a tooth can cause pulp damage without displaying any visible chips or cracks. Leaving the pulp infection or inflammation untreated can cause pain or lead to an abscess.
Can Any Dentist Perform Root Canals?
General dentists are also performing root canals in many cases. However, you find it better getting the treatment from the dentist in Peoria and an endodontist specializing in these procedures. You may think root canal treatment is fearsome or expensive and try to put it off for as long as possible. However, we suggest you don’t adopt such a strategy unless you are prepared to endure intense pain and perhaps lose the tooth to the infection. Let us explain the root canal step-by-step procedure to erase the fear from your mind.
The Root Canal Step-By-Step Procedure
Root canal treatments are performed in one or two visits involving the following steps.
Initially, the Peoria dentist examines and takes an x-ray of a tooth before giving you local anesthesia. If you are incredibly anxious about the procedure, discuss the problem with the dentist who provides you more potent anesthesia.
After numbing your tooth, the dentist places a small rubber dam over the area to isolate the tooth and keep it clean and free from saliva during the process. Next, a tiny opening is made in the crown of your tooth to expose the dental pulp. The dental pulp is cleaned from the pulp chamber and root canals using tiny instruments to shape the space for a filling.
After cleaning and shaping the space, the dentist fills the root canals with a biocompatible material which is rubberlike and called gutta-percha. An adhesive accompanies the gutta-percha to ensure the root canals are sealed entirely. Your dentist places a temporary filling in the access hole created in the crown of your tooth to close the opening. The temporary filling is removed by your dentist when restoring the tooth.
After the final visit to the Peoria dentist, you must return to your regular dentist to have a dental crown or another restoration placed over the tooth for protection and restore it to full functionality.
Is Root Canal Treatment Painful?
Root canal treatments are performed to relieve you from the pain you experience in your tooth from the pulp infection or inflammation. Modern techniques and anesthesia allow most patients undergoing the treatment to confirm they were comfortable during the process.
The fearsome pain propagated by many myths begins only after the numbing medication wears off, especially if you had pain or infection before undergoing the procedure. Over-the-counter painkillers or prescription medications from the dentist help alleviate the discomfort. However, you must follow the dentist’s instructions carefully.
The treated tooth may feel slightly different from your other teeth for some time after undergoing root canal treatment. However, if you experience extreme pain or pressure lasting for over a few days, you must contact the specialist for assistance.
Caring for a Root Canal Treated Tooth
Chewing or biting with the treated tooth is better avoided until you have the tooth restored by your dentist. A root canal-treated tooth is fragile and susceptible to fractures requiring you to visit your regular dentist as soon as possible for the restoration. Besides the above must practice good oral hygiene, including brushing, flossing, and regular dental checkups and cleanings.
If you have undergone endodontic therapy to eliminate infections from within your tooth, the treated tooth will likely last as long as your other natural teeth. However, in some cases, the treated tooth does not heal or becomes painful. As a result, you may experience pain in the treated tooth years after undergoing the treatment. However, if you experience this occurrence, you can contact the dentist again for the same procedure to preserve the tooth.
Root canals help save your natural tooth from extraction and are only required if your dental pulp is infected or inflamed. If recommended a root canal, do not hesitate to undergo the procedure unless you prepare yourself to lose your natural tooth.