In essence, the point of most restorative dental treatments is to save your healthy, natural teeth. Conditions that often require restorative treatment, such as damage to your tooth structure or the formation of tooth decay, can become increasingly worse over time, leading to the loss of more tooth structure or, in severe cases, the entire tooth. In the case of tooth decay, the path to becoming severe is often more progressive, and by the time it reaches the inner root canal of the tooth, it could be a serious enough condition that prompt treatment is necessary to save it.

What a tooth’s root canal is for

A root canal describes the path inside of the tooth’s root. It extends from the inner pulp chamber at the center of the tooth’s crown into the jawbone socket that supports the tooth’s root, and carries the tooth’s nerves and blood vessels from one area to the other. This makes your tooth’s root and its inner canal vital to your tooth’s overall health and integrity. It also makes it a highly vulnerable area if you develop tooth decay that’s severe enough to reach these inner chambers and tissues.

How the inside of the root becomes infected

Severe tooth decay can involve the infection in your tooth’s crown structure reaching the pulp chamber at the center of the crown, infecting the tissues and nerves that are housed within it. One of the most immediate signs of this is a significantly heightened level of pain in the tooth, as the nerves have become directly infected by decay. This can also indicate that a substantial amount of the tooth’s crown structure has also eroded, making the tooth weaker and less stable overall.

Saving the tooth with root canal therapy

The only difference between a minor cavity and a severe case of internal tooth decay is time, and the extent to which the infection in your tooth has had time to progress. In the case of internal tooth decay, a much more substantial amount of your tooth’s crown structure has been eroded by decay, and the threat of the infection can be much greater to your oral health. The most effective way to save your tooth and oral health is to address the severe tooth decay as soon as possible. Root canal treatment involves removing the infected tissues and blood vessels from your tooth’s pulp and root canal, then sealing the chamber and root canal to fortify the remaining healthy tooth structure.

Learn if root canal therapy can save your tooth

A tooth’s root canal doesn’t become infected easy. When it does, saving the tooth could require removing the infection with root canal treatment. To learn more, schedule a consultation by calling the Dental Centre of Conroe in Conroe, TX, today at (936) 441-4600. We serve patients from Conroe and all neighboring communities.