Root canals are actually one of the most common dental procedures. The process of removing the infected dental pulp from beneath the surface of the tooth is called a root canal treatment.
Dental pulp comprises soft tissues, blood vessels, and nerves. It is the center and innermost layer of the tooth. The pulp is surrounded by dentin and enamel.
Sometimes decay or trauma penetrates the pulp, causing considerable pain. A root canal therapy is an effective treatment for curbing pain associated with an infected pulp and minimizing the risk of losing your tooth.
Are you looking for more information about root canal therapy? Get in touch with our team at Arlington Dental Associates.
Most patients visit us after experiencing persistent toothaches and pain in the infected area. However, there are certainly other signs that indicate you have a pulp infection, such as:
Tooth sensitivity even after regular brushing and flossing
Discoloration and darkening of the tooth
Tender swollen gums
A bump or pimple on your gums
Our dentists at Arlington Dental Associates may recommend a root canal after diagnosing and identifying pulp infection. Most patients tend to avoid treatment after diagnosis as they don’t have any symptoms. But delaying prolongs the problem and allows the infection to progress and cause extensive damage.
In many cases, the tooth’s nerves have died due to the severity of infection. Because of the dead nerves, the patient doesn’t experience any pain. The end result of this deadening is permanent tooth loss. To prevent this from happening, schedule a dental exam today.
There are both surgical and non-surgical root canal treatments available. A non-surgical root canal process is somewhat similar to dental fillings, except that the root canal is an invasive procedure that requires deep drilling.
The dentist first numbs the area with local anesthesia in a simple root canal. Patients may also request sedation for added comfort.
The next step is reaching the dental pulp with a drill to remove the infected pulp. Our dentists use a root canal file to remove the pulp. After removing the diseased pulp, the root canal is cleaned and disinfected. Once disinfected, our dentists seal the canal with gutta-percha, a rubber-like material.
In root canal cases, our dentists rebuild the structure and function of the tooth using a dental crown.
The surgical root canal is a process in which incisions are required to access the damaged tooth. The incision takes place in the bone tissue and the gums.
Surgical root canals are performed when saving a tooth is not possible with simple root canal treatment. Surgical intervention may also be required as a follow-up endodontic retreatment.
If you are suffering from a previously failed root canal procedure, please get in touch with us today to discuss a retreatment plan.
