Have you ever found yourself reluctant to visit the dentist because you feared needing a root canal? Many people procrastinate when it comes to routine dental visits; but without regular care, your oral health can deteriorate quickly. Chances are, if you have a painful tooth that throbs when you eat or drink, bacteria has already invaded your tooth and must be stopped to ease your pain. The root canal procedure is a common, permanent solution for deep, painful, tooth decay.
Will It Hurt?
This is probably the most common question asked by patients facing any kind of dental work. Luckily, thanks to modern medicine, your procedure will be virtually pain free. Before beginning, your dentist will adequately numb your tooth and all surrounding gum tissue to ensure a pain-free experience. In some cases, sedation can be used to calm your nerves and leave you with little to no memory of your visit.
How Does It Work?
When you have an infection deep in your tooth’s pulp, the only way to completely resolve your discomfort is by removing the infection as well as the affected nerves. After numbing the area, your dentist will open a small spot in your tooth to gain access to its canals. Small files of increasing size are used to purge the canals of all contaminants and tissue, leaving them hollow and clean. A special putty-like material is then used to fill the hollow canals and seal off the tooth. Last, a permanent crown will be placed once it is fabricated in a lab to perfectly fit over your tooth.
Are There Any Complications?
Root canal therapy is widely known for being extremely successful and having little to no complications. Problems during the procedure are basically non-existent, while occasionally a root canal can fail sometime after being completed. The most common causes of failure are a cracked tooth or missed canal, which can cause pain similar to what you experienced before the procedure was done. Retreatment is often needed in these cases to ensure a long-lasting, pain-free, restoration.
ABOUT YOUR CONROE GENERAL DENTIST:
The Dental Centre of Conroe, John M Richards DDS delivers distinctive cosmetic, restorative, and implant dentistry for residents of Conroe, Houston, The Woodlands, Willis, Huntsville, and the neighboring communities. For more information about our services, or to schedule an appointment, contact us by calling (936) 441-4600.
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