25 Jan If my tooth doesn’t hurt, why do I need root canal treatment?
You’re at the dentist for your twice yearly visit to have teeth cleaned and examined for potential problems. When you arrived, you were not experiencing any dental discomfort; however, your dentist noticed a problem on your dental x-ray. An infection at the apex of the tooth is brewing, and while it may not hurt right now, it is likely to bring pain soon. When the nerve of the tooth (located in the tooth’s root) is traumatized, you may require endodontic therapy (root canal).
The nerve can be damaged due to excessive dental decay, gum disease, or some kind of trauma from a bump or biting down on something hard that may have resulted in a hairline crack in the tooth.
Most of the time when a root canal is indicated the patient is experiencing symptoms like sensitivity to temperature, swelling or throbbing pain. Absent any of these symptoms, you may not realize you might be in danger of tooth loss. When the dental nerve is damaged, you generally have two options: a root canal or extraction.
Your dentist will most always suggest a root canal. Saving a tooth is usually a much better option than having it removed. Extracting a tooth means you either replace it with some kind of dental prosthesis or you leave it void. Chewing or speaking problems can ensue not to mention how you might feel smiling, laughing, speaking, or eating in public following tooth loss.
A root canal is actually a pretty simple procedure. A dental x-ray will identify the number of roots involved; it is imperative all roots be treated.
The tooth is segregated to keep the area dry, the tooth is usually anesthetized and the dentist will drill an access point into the tooth allowing for the contents of the tooth’s roots to be removed. Those contents include the nerve (no longer needed once the tooth has erupted), blood, and pulp tissue.
Sealing the access point might be done right away, but if infection is present it is often advised to wait until it’s cured. Most often sealing the tooth is completed with a dental crown. The crown is usually made with a tooth colored porcelain making treatment completion virtually undetectable.
Root canals get negative press, however, their availability makes saving your tooth easy, painless, and important for dental health. Contact our office today if you need to schedule a dental appointment.