There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night to a throbbing toothache. Oftentimes, when a tooth is in terrible pain, it is indicative of infection. When the roots of a tooth become infected, it may be necessary to perform a root canal to remove the infected nerve and pulp to treat the tooth. Leaving the infection in the tooth can lead to larger problems down the road, including more pain and abscesses.
A root canal can be performed in one or two appointments. An x-ray is taken of the area causing pain and if the infection is seen in the roots, then the dentist will advise root canal therapy to alleviate the pain and get your tooth back to full function again.
During the procedure. you will be administered a local anesthetic and the tooth will be opened up. The root canals of the tooth contain the pulp and nerve endings, and will be cleaned out using a file until all the decay and infection are gone. Once cleaned, the canals are filled and sealed to prevent any further infections and a filling is placed on the tooth to seal it.
Once a tooth has been root canal treated, it is highly recommended that a crown is placed on the tooth to prevent the tooth from cracking, as it is significantly weakened without the live pulp and nerves. With a crown placed on the tooth, you can resume full function of your tooth! You can find out more about the function of and procedure for placing crowns here!
Think you may have an infected tooth or are experiencing tooth pain? Contact our office today!
