The fact that your dentist recommends root canal treatment to save your tooth may seem like all you need to know about the condition. If you undergo treatment as soon as possible, then it may be all you need to know, along with how to care for and preserve your tooth and smile in the future. However, it’s natural to take time to consider what needing root canal treatment means for your tooth and oral health, and what could happen because of it. Today, we help clear up these questions by explaining a few implications of needing root canal treatment to save your tooth.

It means your tooth could be lost to decay

The condition that root canal treatment is designed to address is severe tooth decay, which involves the extensive erosion of your tooth structure due to a bacterial infection. While tooth decay doesn’t seem serious when it’s treated in its mild to moderate stages, it can become a significant threat to your tooth and oral health if it progresses any further. Root canal treatment is recommended when this decay reaches the inner pulp chamber and root canal of the tooth, infecting the nerves, blood vessels, and other tissues that reside within these structures. Root canal treatment may stop this from getting worse and potentially leading to the loss of the tooth.

It also means you have a chance to save the tooth

If a tooth becomes so severely decayed that most of its healthy structure erodes, then the only solution for saving your smile may be to extract the severely decayed tooth structure. If you need root canal treatment, the good news is that you still have a chance to prevent the tooth’s loss due to extensive decay. While the severity of the condition may have a lasting impact on your long-term oral health, the loss of the tooth because of it can have several more important and impactful consequences. This includes losing the tooth and root structure that your dental ridges depend on, and the need to restore it with the help of a dental implant restoration.

It should prompt you to seek treatment soon

The severity of your tooth’s decay is the most important implication of your need for root canal treatment. If the infection in your tooth has already become that extensive, then it may not take much longer for the condition to become severe enough to lead to tooth loss. If your dentist recommends root canal treatment, then it should prompt you to seek treatment for your tooth as soon as possible to avoid tooth loss and more significant complications.

Learn what needing root canal treatment means

Needing root canal treatment can have several different implications for your oral health, including the fact that time may be short for saving the rest of your healthy, natural tooth structure. 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.