Tooth decay, trauma or cracks can cause the nerves of teeth to die. When this occurs, your tooth can often still be saved with root canal therapy. Severe pain, swelling, sensitivity to hot or cold or a darkening tooth are signs that a root canal problem exists
The purpose of root canal therapy is to eliminate tooth pain.
Symptoms:
- Significant, constant pain, including pain that can wake you up at night
- Increased symptoms specifically when you lie down
- Significant sensitivity to hot or cold
- Pain upon chewing on that tooth
- A darkening of color of only one tooth
- The appearance of pimples or fistula in the gum
A tooth might need this therapy even in the ABSENCE OF ANY PAIN. This can occur if the damage to the nerve is so severe that all sensation of pain is lost. Root canal therapy may still be indicated to prevent the spread of infection, asymptomatically, in the surrounding jawbone.
Objectives:
- To clean out diseased tissue and bacteria from & within the tooth.
- To completely fill the internal hollow root; there are many techniques and materials available to accomplish this.
Some of these techniques allow the dentists to quickly, yet incompletely, fill the internal hollow root and can also be the cause of future problems. It’s better to get something done right the first time.
Root Canal Procedure:
- Diseased tooth with an abscess
- The dentist accesses the tooth pulp/nerve
- The root canals inside the tooth are cleaned and shaped
- The root canals are filled and sealed
Remember:
Root canal therapy is NOT PAINFUL when properly performed in a tooth and actually that has not yet reached the point of becoming a painful emergency. Some people mistakenly wait until they have severe pain before seeking root canal therapy. They are the cause of the pain, not the procedure itself. An important lesson is therefore to seek out Root Canal Therapy if you think a tooth is becoming more symptomatic; don’t wait for the emergency.
