What You Should Know About Root Canal Treatment
Once infected by mouth-dwelling bacteria, a damaged tooth often requires root canal treatment to properly and effectively eliminate the infection.
When you come into the dental office complaining of a debilitating toothache, your dentist will evaluate your situation to determine the necessary course of treatment.
Often, chronic dental infection is no longer restorable by traditional tooth fillings. This leaves you and your dentist with two plausible courses of action in treating your damaged tooth – extraction and root canal treatment.
What Is Root Canal Treatment?
Root canal treatment (endodontic therapy) is a specialised dental procedure that removes infected or damaged pulp tissue within a tooth. To understand its importance, it’s essential to know more about the structure of your teeth.
Understanding the Dental Pulp
The dental pulp, a soft, living tissue that includes connective tissues, blood vessels, and nerves, is underneath the tough outer layers of dentin and enamel. This pulp is crucial in a tooth’s development and sensory functions.
However, because the surrounding tissues provide nourishment, a tooth can survive without the pulp until it reaches complete maturity.
The dental pulp communicates pain to your brain when it gets swollen or infected due to decay, trauma, or a damaged tooth. This is your body’s way of alerting you to a problem.
If treatment is not received, the infection may progress and cause bone loss, abscess formation, and even systemic health problems. That’s where root canal treatment comes into play.
Why Choose Root Canal Treatment Over Extraction?
Saving your natural tooth should always be the goal, and root canal treatment allows you to do just that. Here’s why it’s often preferred over extraction:
- Preserve Natural Function: Retaining your natural tooth helps maintain your bite and chewing efficiency. Missing teeth, even when replaced by prosthetics, can sometimes lead to changes in bite alignment.
- Avoids Adjacent Tooth Shifting: When a tooth is extracted, neighbouring teeth may shift into the space, potentially causing bite problems and misalignment.
- Prevents Bone Loss: Teeth roots stimulate the jawbone. When a tooth is removed, the bone in that area can begin to deteriorate over time, potentially altering the structure of your face.
What Happens During Root Canal Treatment
When your dentist determines that root canal treatment is necessary, they’ll begin by carefully planning the procedure.
Here’s what you can expect during the process:
- Numbing the Area: To make the operation painless, your Main Beach dentist will first apply a local anaesthetic to numb the area.
- Accessing the Tooth: A small opening will be made at the top of the tooth to reach the infected pulp.
- Removing the Infected Pulp: We shall carefully remove the injured pulp that contains blood vessels and nerves.
- Cleaning and Disinfecting: The inner canals will be cleaned and disinfected to remove bacteria and prevent infection.
- Filling the Tooth: The cleaned canals will be filled with a rubber-like material called gutta-percha to seal the tooth.
- Restoring the Tooth: Depending on the damage, your dentist may place a temporary filling or a permanent porcelain crown for added strength and protection.
Root canal treatment can effectively save a tooth and restore its function, allowing you to keep your natural smile intact.
Post-Treatment Care
After your root canal treatment, it’s essential to follow your dentist’s care instructions to ensure a smooth recovery and prevent future issues:
- Oral Hygiene: Continue brushing and flossing daily to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
- Avoid Hard Foods: Until your permanent restoration (like a crown) is in place, avoid using the treated tooth to chew on anything sticky or hard.
- Regular Dental Visits: Keeping an eye on your restored teeth and oral health requires routine examinations and cleanings.
Root Canal Treatment in Main Beach
Root canal treatment might have earned a reputation as quite an uncomfortable procedure. However, between highly effective anaesthetics, precision equipment, and cutting-edge dental technology, modern root canal treatment is no more painful than a simple filling procedure.
Spare yourself from head-wrecking dental pain and save your tooth’s remaining healthy structures by visiting your local Main Beach dentist at Main Beach Dental for world-class endodontic therapy.
You can reach us at 07 5503 1177 or 11/26-30 Tedder Ave in Main Beach.